Download HX1/HX2 Manual - Broadcast Bionics

TELOS Hx1/Hx2
Digital Hybrid Telephone Interface
USER’S MANUAL
Manual Version 1.4b for software version 1.4 or later
11 October, 2010
Telos Hx1 and Hx2 Manual
© 2010 TLS Corporation. Published by Telos Systems/TLS Corporation. All rights reserved.
Trademarks
Telos Systems, the Telos logo and Hx1 and Hx2 are trademarks of TLS Corporation. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
Notice
All versions, claims of compatibility, trademarks, etc. of hardware and software products not made
by Telos mentioned in this manual or accompanying material are informational only. Telos Systems
makes no endorsement of any particular product for any purpose, nor claims any responsibility for operation or accuracy. We reserve the right to make improvements or changes in the products described
in this manual which may affect the product specifications, or to revise the manual without notice.
Warranty
This product is covered by a one year limited warranty, the full text of which is included in this manual.
Updates
The operation of the Hx1 and Hx2 is determined largely by software. We routinely release new
versions to add features and fix bugs. Check the Telos web site for the latest. We encourage you to
sign-up for the email notification service offered on the site.
Feedback
We welcome feedback on any aspect of the Telos Hx1 or Hx2, or this manual. In the past, many good
ideas from users have made their way into software revisions or new products. Please contact us with
your comments.
Service
You must contact Telos before returning any equipment for factory service. We will need the serial
number, located on the back of the unit. Telos Systems will issue a Return Authorization number
which must be written on the exterior of your shipping container. Please do not include cables or accessories unless specifically requested by the technical support engineer at Telos. Be sure to adequately
insure your shipment for its replacement value. Packages without proper authorization may be refused.
US customers please contact Telos technical support at +1-216-622-0247. All other customers should
contact your local representative to make arrangements for service.
We support you...
By Phone / Fax:
You may reach our 24/7 Support Team anytime around the clock by calling +1-216-622-0247.
For billing questions or other non-emergency technical questions, call +1-216-241-7225 between 9:30
AM to 6:00 PM USA Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
Our fax is +1-216-241-4103.
By E-Mail:
Technical support is available at [email protected].
All other inquiries at [email protected].
Via World Wide Web:
The Telos Web site has a variety of information which may be useful for product selection and support.
The URL is www.Telos-Systems.com
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Telos Systems USA
Telos Systems
1241 Superior Avenue E
Cleveland, OH 44114 USA
+1-216-241-7225 (phone)
+1-216-241-4103 (fax)
+1-216-622-0247 (24/7 Technical Support)
[email protected]
[email protected]
Notices and Cautions
This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts you to the presence
of uninsulated, dangerous voltage inside the enclosure –
voltage which may be sufficient to constitute a risk of shock.
This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts you to important
operating and maintenance instructions. Read the manual.
CAUTION:
THE INSTALLATION AND SERVICE INSTRUCTIONS IN THIS MANUAL ARE FOR
USE BY QUALIFIED PERSONNEL ONLY. TO AVOID ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT
PERFORM ANY SERVICING OTHER THAN THAT CONTAINED IN THE OPERATING
INSTRUCTIONS UNLESS YOU ARE QUALIFIED TO DO SO. REFER ALL SERVICING
TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.
WARNING:
TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS PRODUCT
TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.
USA CLASS A COMPUTING DEVICE INFORMATION TO USER. WARNING:
This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio-frequency energy. If it is not installed and used
as directed by this manual, it may cause interference to radio communication. This equipment complies
with the limits for a Class A computing device, as specified by FCC Rules, Part 15, Subpart J, which
are designed to provide reasonable protection against such interference when this type of equipment
is operated in a commercial environment. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely
to cause interference. If it does, the user will be required to eliminate the interference at the user’s
expense. NOTE: Objectionable interference to TV or radio reception can occur if other devices are
connected to this device without the use of shielded interconnect cables. FCC rules require the use of
shielded cables.
CANADA WARNING:
“This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class A limits for radio noise emissions set out in the
Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.”“Le present
appareil numerique n’emet pas de bruits radioelectriques depassant les limites applicables aux appareils
numeriques (de Class A) prescrites dans le reglement sur le brouillage radioelectrique edicte par le
ministere des Communications du Canada.”
iv | Table of Contents
We support you.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
A Letter from our President. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
1
Introduction
1
The Hx1 Hybrid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
The Hx2 Hybrid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2
Installation
5
Connecting your telco lines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Studio Audio Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Hx2 Internal Mix Minus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Input Audio Connection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Output Audio Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Remote Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Connecting your Hx to other systems and non-standard lines . . . . . . . . . 13
Quick Basic Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Power Input and Grounding Safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3
Operation
17
Front Panel Buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Line Status Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Metering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Basic Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4
Configuration Settings
21
Rear Panel DIP Switch Control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Country Specific Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Factory Default Configuration Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Telos Hx1/HX2 manual |
5
AES I/O Option
33
Installation Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
AES Channel Assignments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Restoring an AES equipped unit to Analog Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
6
Troubleshooting
37
On-Board Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Software Version. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
DIP Switch Status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
T1 Test – 400 hz tone generation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
T2 Test – Studio Loopback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
T3 Test – Feed Through Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Hardware Repairs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
7
Specifications
41
8
Warranty and Application Caution
43
A1 Telephone Terminology Guide
A1
A2 Quick Reference Guide: Rear Panel Switches
A19
A3 Quick Reference Guide: Internal Switches & Remote Connector pin usage
A21
v
VI | A LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT
a letter from our president | VII
A Letter from our President
“What if?” A singularly great question, because it
opens the door to so many other questions and
ideas. Those who ask it are sometimes called dreamers,
as if that were somehow bad, but history has often
proven dreamers to be the avatars of new and exciting things.
“What if?” was the query asked by Steve Church that
led to the start of Telos Systems. In 1984, Steve –
then a young broadcast engineer and part-time talk
show host – wondered whether emerging Digital
Signal Processing (DSP) technology might be useful
to clean up the terrible caller audio then the norm
at radio stations. The result of asking it was the Telos
10, the world’s first digital telephone hybrid, a
product that changed the face of radio forever.
Looking back at Telos history, “What if?” is found
at the root of many more technologies broadcasters
have since made ubiquitous. “MP3 bit rates are
perfectly matched to the bandwidth of ISDN; what if
we combined them?” “What if we built a box that let
radio stations stream audio on the Internet?” “What
if we could use Ethernet to treat audio as data and
move it around the radio station in real time?” (By
the way, if you recognized the answers to those
questions as the Zephyr ISDN codec, AudioActive
MPEG encoder and Livewire IP-Audio protocol, give
yourself a cookie.)
Today, as technology roars ahead, we’re constantly
seeking new ways to apply it to the problems of everyday broadcasting. Voice over IP (VoIP) is particularly
compelling for its ability to packetize high-quality phone
calls and direct them anywhere in the broadcast plant
using ubiquitous, standard Ethernet as a backbone.
A new digital tech called AEC (Advanced Echo Cancellation) is helping to literally eliminate the age-old
problem of feedback in open-speaker environments.
And the prize of using the public Internet for remote
connections as reliable as those of switched circuits
is within broadcasters’ grasp, thanks to ever more
sophisticated coding algorithms.
Pioneering ideas aren’t limited just to technology,
though. We believe that investing in people pays off
big, so we’ve assembled the largest R&D team in the
industry, a talented staff of engineers, scientists and
broadcast professionals. We’re also the first and only
broadcast equipment maker with a 24/7 support
team ready to offer assistance any time of the day
or night. As they say, radio never sleeps – so neither
do we.
As Telos navigates its third decade in broadcasting’s
choppy waters, the spirit of innovation and ideas
that propelled Steve in the early days is still very
much alive. We’re still in love with radio, still turned
on by new technology, still driven to ask “What if?”
If you’re reading this, you are too — for which we
thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.
Got to go; my phone is ringing. It’s Steve Church,
and I bet he wants to ask me a question…
Michael “Catfish” Dosch
President
|
1
1
Introduction
Hx1 Hybrid
The Telos Hx1 is a single digital hybrid in a 1RU 19 inch rack mount enclosure. It
embodies a state of the art approach to interfacing an analog POTS (Plain Old
Telephone Service) line for broadcast on-air use. The fast, precise digital automaticnulling hybrid allows smooth, natural, conversation without speakerphone-like
up-cutting effects, or the audio distortion and feedback problems often experienced
with lesser hybrid interface devices.
The Hx1 implements a number of features in the digital domain in order to enhance
“real-world” performance. In particular, the hybrid includes a sophisticated automatic
gain control in both the send and receive paths, a carefully implemented override
ducking system, a pitch shifter for feedback reduction, and a digital dynamic EQ that
keeps audio spectrally consistent from call to call.
Purpose
e Telos Hx1 or Hx2 broadcast telephone hybrids are designed to deliver pure caller
Th
audio with as little leakage from the (announcer’s) send audio as possible. Telos uses
state of the art digital techniques to perform the hybrid function – the subtraction
of the send audio from the received caller audio. The fully digital approach assures
consistently good trans-hybrid loss, audio levels and sound quality with varying
telephone line conditions.
2
| Section 1
Features
The Telos Hx1 and Hx2 hybrids include many features that have historically been
“add ons” or options. See the list below.
♦♦ A
high-pass filter reduces hum and low frequency noise. High- frequency
noise above the telephone frequency range is also attenuated.
♦♦ A
smart digital Automatic Gain Control (AGC) smooths output levels. The
gain changes occur naturally, delivering consistent levels without processing
artifacts. A settable noise gate/expander on the receive path reduces phone line
noise during caller pauses.
♦♦ An
adjustable override function allows ducking of the caller while the announcer is speaking.
♦♦ Feedback
is reduced by a special “pitch shifting” arrangement while echo is
reduced with a basic Acoustic Echo Canceler.
♦♦ Fixed
or adaptive EQ helps to correct deficiencies in a callers telephone set or
the network, resulting in a clearer, warmer, more intelligible sound from the
caller.
♦♦ Front
panel metering is provided for input and output levels. EQ gain changes
are displayed in real time.
♦♦ Auto-Answer
operation.
capabilities with a selectable ring count allows for unattended
♦♦ Worldwide
disconnect signal detection allows use of the hybrid in different
countries and with various PBXs.
♦♦ The
Hx is equipped with a complete diagnostic system for system set-up and
check-out.
♦♦ Optional
AES3 support is available.
♦♦ Built-in
universal power supply and rack mount design aids in a professional
installation.
♦♦ The
Hx has built-in full remote control capability, including outputs for “line
ringing” and “hybrid in use” indicators.
♦♦ Telos “Status
Symbols” provide clear visual cues to operators.
introduction |
3
Hx2 Hybrid
The Telos Hx2 unit consists of two identical digital hybrids in a single 1RU 19 inch
rack-mount enclosure.
The Hx2 can operate as two fully independent hybrids or be configured with an
internal mix-minus to couple the two hybrids, sharing a single mix minus from the
audio console and allowing callers on both hybrids to hear each other and your talent.
The Hx may be controlled remotely via connections available on the unit’s remote
connector (DB-9). Control functions include remote on and off control, and available
status outputs include “line ringing” and “hybrid in use” open-collector indications.
The remote connector allows easy direct connection to 1A2 interfaces, consoles or
other remote control devices.
The unit can be equipped with an optional AES3 module, which plugs into the
motherboard and converts the XLR connections from analog to AES3.
2
|
5
Installation
The Hx1 and 2 mount in a 1RU space in a standard 19” rack. The unit generates very little heat
and needs no special attention for cooling or rack placement. The unit will operate in any environment where the stirred air temperature around the unit is between 0 to 40 degrees Celsius
(32 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit) with a relative humidity of 0 to 98% (non-condensing).
Next installation steps are:
♦♦ Connect
your telco circuits and connect a “looped through” telephone set, if desired.
♦♦ Connect
Audio with analog connections (or AES3 if equipped).
♦♦ Connect
any needed parallel GPIO for remote control operation or to use any of the
available status indications present on the rear panel DB-9 connector.
♦♦ Power
up the Hx and do a quick basic operational test using the factory settings.
This installation section covers all of the above. After completing these steps you’ll be ready to
move on to configuration for your specific situation.
2.1 Connecting your telco lines
The Hx1 & 2 use standard RJ-11 type “modular” telephone connectors. Only the two center
pins that carry the analog line’s “tip and ring” are used. Connect the telephone line using the rear
panel “LINE” jack.
The Hx is designed to work with ordinary “loop start” analog phone lines, though it can operate on PBX extensions and VoIP Analog Terminal Adapters (ATA’s). Hybrid performance and
system behavior on these kinds of lines may vary. If you plan to use your Hx on any of these
types of lines or connect your unit to other legacy Telos systems such as the 1A2 interface or the
Direct Interface Module and others, please see section 2.7.
Lines that carry “Shared Line DSL” can be problematic. It’s suggested that you avoid using the
Hx on lines that carry DSL, but if you must use one, be sure to use a “line splitter” or DSL filter
in series with the “LINE” jack on the Hx. DSL lines have data carriers above the voice band of
the circuit, usually from 25 khz to 1004 khz. DSL filters strip away the high frequency data carriers and pass on the 0-4 khz voice band and signaling. Some filters are better than others and
sometimes better results can be obtained by cascading several filters, each rolling off more of the
high frequency energy. On a line with DSL you might hear more “hiss” and “hash” than with a
normal line.
An analog phone set may be plugged into the “PHONE” jack. The telephone can be used when
the Hx is “off ”. You might want to disable the telephone’s ringer if you are in a studio environment. The Hx has a “line ringing” open collector output that you can use to light lamps or
strobes. See Section 2.6: the “remote” connector.
The Hx has an “auto-answer” function that you can enable. See section 4.1.
6
| Section 2
2.2 Studio Audio Connections
Mix-Minus
The Hx must be fed send-to-caller audio that is free of the caller audio, a ‘mix-minus’. A mixminus is a mix of all of your audio sources that will be placed on-air (or recorded) except the
caller audio – thus the mix-minus designation. The European term M-1 (mix minus one) is perhaps a clearer term. A mix-minus is also sometimes referred to as a ‘clean feed’. The important
thing to remember is that the hybrid must not ‘chase its tail’ – the condition when its output
makes its way somehow back to the input.
Hot Tip
Many hybrid installation problems are caused by an inadvertent signal path which creates a
loop from the hybrid’s output back to its own input. Some consoles allow this when certain
control combinations are selected by the user. In some cases, it may be as simple a mistake
as assigning the hybrid to whichever bus is feeding the hybrid. This is the first place to look
when strange or erratic performance is experienced. The quickest test is to bring up only the
hybrid in question on the board and select a line. Dial tone should not appear on the send
meter of the hybrid in question.
Using a modern broadcast console’s mix-minus capability
Most modern broadcast consoles have provision for multiple mix-minus busses. The best
consoles allow selective feeds to the phone system. This is useful since sometimes you want only
one microphone feeding the phone, but sometimes you want to three or four mics (during the
morning show, for instance), and sometimes you want to play some audio piece that callers need
to hear and react to such as contest sound effects, etc. Some even provide for separate ‘on-air’
and ‘off line’ (recording) telephone modes.
‘Making do’ with an older console
Consoles made before around 1990 rarely had good support for mix-minuses, and almost never
for more than one or two. With one of these oldsters, some clever improvisation is going to
be needed. Here we describe a possible scenario that can be used as a starting point for your
situation. We assume an older console with Program and Audition as the main busses. There
is another bus of some kind that can be adapted for mix-minus application. We’ll call this the
‘Utility’ bus. All sources, including the hybrid, will be assigned to Program, so the audience can
hear them, as usual. We will also assign most of these sources to Utility as well, just never the
fader with the hybrid’s own audio.
installation |
PGM Bus
{
7
PGM Out
Line
Inputs
Utility Bus
To Rec Ch.1
Hybrid
To Telco
To Rec Ch.2
This arrangement is flexible, allowing the operator to place any or all sources in Utility for the
caller to hear. In our example we have the fortunate case that the console permits the Utility bus
to be fed pre-fader, letting the announcer easily use the telephone system for off-air conversations.
A recorder can be attached to the Utility and hybrid outputs to record announcer + phone
audio. This is often done as shown here, with each signal to a separate track. A drawback is the
potential for the operator to accidentally put the hybrid in Utility, in which case it is no longer a
mix-minus. To avoid this error, the signal path could be permanently disconnected by removing
the summing resistors, or some such creative operation.
If no bus is available to feed the Hx, you could use an external mixer that bridges the microphone inputs to achieve the same effect.
The Hx2 has multiple hybrids and works best if two faders can be assigned to the telephone
system with two associated mix-minuses, one for each telephone line. This is probably not going
to be easy with an older console. But the Hx2 has an option to work with a single external mixminus by making an internal cross-connection of the hybrids. See Section 2.3 for more on this.
Using a small mixer
A small audio mixer is used to record interviews off the telephone line using a single hybrid.
The mixer’s main bus is fed to the recording device. Both the microphone and the hybrid will be
brought up on the faders so the interview can be recorded.
Most small mixers (such as those made by Mackie) have one or two Aux send busses, so we will
use these to feed the telephone system. We will turn up Aux for the microphone but we will
make sure it is turned fully off for the each channel that has the corresponding caller audio.
8
| Section 2
Using a production-style console
The Production-style consoles often used for TV audio will have multiple Aux send busses that
can be used in a similar way to the small mixer example above. Each hybrid is sent from an Aux
bus and everything the caller needs to hear is mixed into that bus, taking care to keep the hybrid
itself off the bus.
Phones and Remotes
When on remote, to save money and hassle, calls are usually received at the studio, rather than
at the remote site. In this situation, caller audio must be fed to the remote talent so that they
can hear and respond to callers. Moreover, the callers need to hear the talent. In many cases, the
remotes are sufficiently distant that talent cannot monitor the station for the caller feed. Even
if they could, the profanity delay would be a problem, since the talent needs to hear the callers
pre-delay.
All perceptual codecs (such as the Telos Zephyr or X-Stream) or any IP codec, have too much
delay for talent at remote locations to hear themselves via a round-trip loop. Therefore, another
mix-minus is required to feed a codec.
The talent hears callers via the codec return path. As before, you feed this return with mixminus: a mix of everything on the program bus minus the remote audio. As for the second half
of the equation, the callers hear the talent because the remote feed is added to the telephone
mix-minus bus. This is no problem if you have a set-up that permits selective assignment to the
hybrid mix-minus.
installation |
9
A problem with this arrangement is a result of a hybrid with too much leakage combined
with the system delay. If the hybrid isn’t doing a good job of preventing the send audio from
leaking to its output, the special remote send mix-minus is corrupted. Remember, if any of the
announcer audio from the remote site is returned via the monitor feed, it will be delayed by the
digital link, causing an echo effect. The Telos Hx really shows its stuff in this situation. Because
it has such good trans-hybrid loss, leakage is not at all likely to be a problem. And should there
ever be a problem, you can solve it by increasing the amount of ducking. See Section 4.2.
Note
The Telos Hx has the more common pin-outs used for three pin XLR inputs & outputs. You
can easily remember the correct signals when wiring connectors using the phrase “George
Washington Bridge.” Pin 1 = G = Ground, Pin 2 = W = “+” = White (typical color in mic cable, if
there is no white there will be a red conductor), and Pin 3 = B = “-” = Black.
2.3 Hx2 Internal Mix Minus
The two hybrids in the Hx2 unit may be configured so that a single mix-minus feed may be used
for both hybrids, with each hybrid’s output fed into the other’s input internally at unity gain (so
that the callers can hear each other) and sums each with the audio from the consoles mix-minus
output. Only the SEND IN #1 input is used to feed both hybrids.
Both hybrid outputs still function independently. The two hybrid outputs are NOT summed
together, so you should provide a fader for each hybrid. The consoles mix-minus must be
configured so that no hybrid’s output gets sent to its own input.
10 | Section 2
The figure above illustrates which signals are combined together inside the Digital Signal
Processor and routed to each connector when the Hx2 internal mix-minus feature is enabled.
Use this option if you only have a single mix-minus available from your console and you wish to
use both hybrids to conference callers on the air. You’ll still need a fader for each hybrid output.
Bit #6 in the ‘OPTIONS’ DIP switch bank controls the mix-minus feature. The internal mixminus feature is enabled when the switch is ON. The default factory setting is OFF - Disabled.
2.4 Input Audio Connection
The input connection, SEND IN, has the following characteristics:
♦♦ XLR
Pin 1 = Ground,
♦♦ XLR
Pin 2 = High (Active Balanced, RF suppressed)
♦♦ XLR
Pin 3 = Low (Active Balanced, RF suppressed)
♦♦ Bridging
impedance, > 100K Ohm
installation | 11
♦♦ Analog
clip point at +24 dBu
♦♦ Analog-to-Digital
converter resolution of 24 bits
♦♦ Adjustable
input level from -10 to +8 dBu
♦♦ Switchable
LINE and MIC level input range
The unit can accommodate a line input level between -10 dbu and +8 dBu, adjustable with
a trim pot on the rear panel. The input level is set to +4 dBu level from the factory. A +4dBu
signal fed into the SEND IN connector should light the Yellow LED bargraph segment on the
Front Panel.
If more input gain is needed, turn the trimmer CLOCKWISE to increase the gain to match the
operating level of the hybrid.
Increasing the send level beyond a normal meter reading does not increase the level into the telco
line due to the hybrid’s AGC and limiting. You will only add distortion and degrade the hybrid’s
performance. There is a dip switch configuration option that applies an extra 3dB gain after the AGC,
should you need more send level.
Next to the input level pot is a pushbutton switch that selects between line and mic levels.
When the pushbutton switch is in the LINE position (out), the input range of the SEND IN
signal is –10 to +8 dBu. When the switch is in the MIC position (in), the input range of the
SEND IN signal is –70 to –16 dBu.
The inputs are designed to be sourced from balanced lines. Usually shielded cables have the
shield wire connected only on one end (most often the input) to prevent ground loops. Older
equipment with a transformer output stage may need a terminating resistor across pins 2 and 3
to maintain a proper “flat” frequency response; consult the manual for your equipment for how
to use it with high impedance inputs.
If you are connecting a device with an unbalanced output to your Hx, connect the shield from
the output of your device to pin 1 (ground) on the Hx input, and the “hot” lead from your
unbalanced output to pin 2 (high) on the Hx. Depending on the device, you might also want to
try connecting pin 3 of the Hx input to ground, or even “floating” the ground and using only the
high and low pins on the Hx. It’s also important that unbalanced lines be kept short to avoid
hum and noise pickup. You’ll probably need to adjust the input gain on the Hx to match the
output of your device. We also suggest that all of your audio equipment be powered from the
same AC power source or circuit to prevent ground loops due to the use of multiple grounds.
For complete information and suggested wiring and grounding techniques for your studio or
recording workstation, please visit the support page at the Telos website:
http://www.telos systems.com/support.
2.5 Output Audio Connection
The output connection, RCV OUT, has the following characteristics:
♦♦ XLR
Pin 1 = Ground,
♦♦ XLR
Pin 2 = High (Active Balanced, RF suppressed)
♦♦ XLR
Pin 3 = Low (Active Balanced, RF suppressed)
♦♦ Output
impedance, < 60 Ohms
♦♦ Analog
clip point at +24 dBu
♦♦ Digital-to-Analog
converter resolution of 24 bits
12 | Section 2
The nominal output level is fixed at +4 dBu, with +20 dBu headroom to account for the crest
factor of some audio signals.
If you are connecting the output of your Hx to a device with an unbalanced input, connect the
shield from your device’s unbalanced input to pin 1 (ground) on the Hx, and the “hot” lead from
your device to pin 2. It’s important that unbalanced lines be kept short to avoid hum and noise
pickup. We also suggest that all of your audio equipment be powered from the same AC power
source or circuit to prevent ground loops due to the use of multiple grounds. For complete information on suggested wiring and grounding techniques for your studio or recording workstation,
please visit the support page at the Telos website: http://www.telos-systems.com/support.
2.6 Remote Control
The female DB9 connector on the Back Panel provides access to control functions. Pin 1 of the
DB9 connector is Ground. Pins 2 through 5 on the top row are for GPIO input signals from
the remote device, while Pins 6 through 9 on the bottom row are GPIO output signals to the
remote device. Two of the GPIO input pins and two of the GPIO output pins are reserved for
each hybrid as follows:
Pin No.
Function
1 GPIO
Ground
2 GPIO IN
Hybrid #1 - Hybrid ON
3 GPIO IN
Hybrid #1 - Hybrid OFF
4 GPIO IN
Hybrid #2 - Hybrid ON
5 GPIO IN
Hybrid #2 - Hybrid OFF
6 GPIO OUT
Hybrid #1 - ringing indicator
7 GPIO OUT
Hybrid #1 - ON/OFF status indicator
8 GPIO OUT
Hybrid #2 - ringing indicator
9 GPIO OUT
Hybrid #2 - ON/OFF status indicator
Input Characteristics
♦♦ The
GPIO inputs are designed to be universal. They accept either a voltage source up
to 24VDC, or a closure to ground, which may be provided by switches, relays, or logic
outputs. In the latter case either ‘totem-pole’ or open-collector will work. The inputs are
active low.
♦♦ A
built-in 1k Ohm pull up resistor is provided.
Output Characteristics
♦♦ Open-collector
♦♦ These
to ground.
will require a pull-up resistor to drive TTL-style logic inputs. Most equipment has
the pull-up built into the input, but if there is no pull-up, you’ll have to add one, connect-
installation | 13
ing it from the output to the +5v source on pin 8. An appropriate value is 2.2K Ohms.
♦♦ Sink
(pull-down) current must be limited to 400mA maximum per output with total
output restricted to 1 amp (200mA each output if all five will be used).
The GPIO output pins can be used to provide status information to other devices or warning
lamps. Outputs are available to indicate “hybrid in use” and “line ringing”.
2.7 Connecting Your Hx to other systems and non-standard lines
We know that you’re creative and that we couldn’t hope to address every possible situation that
you face, and armed with a little knowledge about how the Hx works internally, you should be
successful with most applications of the Hx.
In short: The Hx will operate on anything that electrically “looks like a POTS telephone line”.
You can connect the Hx to anything that is designed to run a standard Analog telephone set.
It needs loop current of 12-24 volts at 15-25 ma to run its line interface chip. The chip provides
telephone line audio and line signaling status (on hook/off hook/ringing/loop drop, etc) to the
processor to control the unit. If loop current isn’t present, you’ll have no audio and the Hx will
simply hang up. This is correct behavior.
Connect to PBX’s and VoIP Analog Terminal Adapters (ATA’s)
When connecting to VoIP ATA’s or PBX station ports, and even telephone company provided
“pair gain” systems and channel banks, sometimes things can be a little different.
Odd voltages, strange feature implementations and other issues can cause problems with audio
performance and produce weird behavior. Fortunately these kinds of interfaces keep getting
better, meaning that the Hx will probably “just work”, with a few possible exceptions.
The most common issue is likely to be what we call disconnect supervision: that is “what the
line does when the caller on the line has hung up”. Disconnect supervision is especially important if you intend to use the auto-answer feature!
When an “on-air” connected call drops, a wide range of things might happen:
♦♦ Most
PBX’s will simply drop the audio from the outside line and perhaps send a fast
busy (or reorder) tone. The Hx will stay off hook until you manually drop it unless you’ve
set the Call Progress Tone Disconnect to disconnect after hearing reorder tone with the
internal dip switches.
♦♦
Some PBX’s will send a momentary loop current interruption that will cause the Hx to
release from the line (the desired behavior. Congratulations! You’re a winner!) We’ve had
good luck with PBX’s from Avaya (Larger systems). EON/Cortelco, NEC and station
disconnect supervision can be enabled in Mitel digital PBX’s though it is not by default.
Most telephone company central office lines do support Calling Party Control (CPC) or
loop current interruption based disconnect.
♦♦ Most
ATA’s used by VoIP providers will simply play you reorder (fast busy) tone. Most
are capable of sending the CPC loop current interruption signal, though many have this
feature disabled by default. It can usually be turned on through the web interface on the
unit. The best ones that we’ve seen are units made by Cisco/Linksys and Sipura.
♦♦ Some
Foreign Exchange or ‘choke’ lines will not pass the CPC signal and the line will go
silent or to dial tone, a reorder, or even a recorded message. This is mainly a function of
circuit design and the selection of central office equipment by the telephone company.
14 | Section 2
Connect to a Telos 1A2 Interface
Our earlier products, like our classic 1A2 interface didn’t support disconnect supervision
for callers “on air”. When using the Hx with a 1A2 interface, all features will work normally
though a caller selected to be “on air” who hangs up will cause the Hx to release the line (or “go
on-hook”). Audio is muted because the Hx has disconnected the line. The lamp on the switch
console and any key phones will remain lit until the line is “dropped” by the user.
You can easily build a control cable to go between the 1A2 interface and the Hx that connects
the on, off and ground signals. Then plug your analog line into the “main” (hybrid #1) or “conf ”
(hybrid #2) jack on the 1A2 interface, as appropriate.
1A2 Interface DB-9 PIN
Hx Hybrid DB-9 PIN
5 (#1 hybrid off)
3
9 (#1 hybrid on)
2
6 (Ground)
1
4 (#2 hybrid off)
5
3 (#2 hybrid on)
4
Connect to a Telos Direct Interface Module
Using the Hx, or any hybrid supporting disconnect supervision with the Direct Interface
Module (DIM) requires an external source of loop current. The DIM provides only a “dry”
transformer audio feed which worked well with the simpler hybrids of the time. Visit the Telos
website or contact support for several options that will allow you to use the Hx with the DIM.
Connect to other systems? Contact Telos Support
Telos collects and shares what we learn about “real world” telephony with our customers. Our
customers come up with creative ways to use our products and often create elegant solutions for unusual problems. We’d appreciate hearing about your successes and challenges to share with
other colleagues and friends. We’re also interested in your experiences with service providers and
telecom systems and equipment vendors.
2.8 Quick Basic Test
It’s all connected, Now it’s time to check for signs of life!
First, Power the unit up and watch it complete its self test.
If the phone line is connected properly, a “dot” should be present on the display, if a minus “-” is
displayed the Hx does not detect the line voltage on the idle POTS line. Check your wiring!
If your Hx is directly connected to a phone line, press the [ON] key and dial tone should be
present on the Hx’s output and RCV bargraph.
If you have your Hx connected to a 1A2 interface, press a line key on the switch console. The
Hx should come on and dial tone should be heard on it’s output and seen on the RCV bargraph.
Pressing the ‘drop’ key should release it, and the ‘hold’ key should put the line on hold. The
display will show a minus “-” to indicate that a line is not detected. This is because the 1A2
interface only routes a line to the Hx when one is selected by the user, and is present.
Verify correct mix minus operation at this point by noting that the RCV bargraph shows the
dial tone at at a nominal level, and that the SND bargraph shows only the microphone or audio
installation | 15
present on the device feeding the Hx SEND IN. The goal of a proper mix minus is to prevent
the hybrid from ‘hearing itself ’. 2.9 Power Input and Grounding Safety
The AC input connects mains power to the unit with a standard IEC power cord. The power
supply has a universal AC input, accepting a range from 100 to 240 VAC, 50-60 Hz, at 0.075 –
0.15 Amps.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Surge Protection
Precautions should be taken to prevent damage caused by power surges.
WARNING
The Hx1 and Hx2 use a universal-input power supply, which has an internal fuse. Hazardous
voltages may still be present on some of the primary parts even when the fuse has blown.
The power cord is the primary disconnect mechanism. Mains power should be near the equipment and easily accessible. The unit should not be positioned such that access to the power cord
is impaired. If the unit is incorporated into a rack, an easily accessible safety disconnect device
should be included in the rack design.
Grounding
This equipment is designed to be operated from a power source which includes a third grounding connection in addition to the power leads. Do not defeat this safety feature. In addition to
creating a potentially hazardous situation, defeating this safety ground will prevent the internal
line noise filter from functioning.
Should you replace the power supply module in the future, be sure to re-connect the safety
ground wires as shown in the illustration below.
Inside the chassis near the power inlet is a ground stud. The ground wire from the power inlet
is attached to the ground stud with a star washer on either side of the wire terminal. (See above
figure). A nut is used to independently tighten the inlet ground wire to the chassis. Next, the
ground wire from the power supply is fastened to the ground stud with a star washer on either
side of the wire terminal. An additional nut is fastened to the top of the ground stud.
| 17
3
Operation
3.1 Front Panel Buttons
There is a column of three pushbutton switches on the Front Panel for each hybrid.
Hybrid ON
Caller ON-HOLD
Hybrid OFF
3.2 Line Status Display
The Line Status display on the Front Panel shows the state of the phone line in iconic form. The
Status Symbol icons displayed on the LED matrix in normal operating mode are as follows:
Line is ready for incoming or outgoing calls
Line not detected
Line is ringing
18 | Section 3
Call is ON-AIR
Call is ON-HOLD
If the Line Status display indicates “Line not detected” after power-up, the telephone line is not
connected to the LINE jack on the back Panel, or line voltage is not detected. Check your wiring and verify that dial tone is present on the line. This function is not compatible with ground
start lines or trunks as these do not have loop current or voltage present until the line has been
grounded momentarily or is ringing.
3.3 Metering
Each hybrid has its own SND and RCV meters to simultaneously display the studio input audio
level, as well as the output level of the caller. Set the input level pot so that 0dbu on your console
causes the Hx to display a yellow bar on the SND bargraph. The meter displays audio before any
processing.
The output meter indicates audio levels after all processing and EQ. It’s also useful for troubleshooting mix minus and other audio issues. A yellow bar corresponds to +4dbu at the audio
output. The nominal output level is fixed at +4dbu. Each hybrid also has a pair of EQ meters which show that amount of gain adjustment applied
to the incoming caller audio in HI and LO frequency bands. When the DDEQ feature is
disabled via the Back Panel DIP switch settings, nothing will appear on the EQ HI and EQ
LO bar graphs.
operation | 19
3.4 Basic Operation
You can use a telephone set to either dial an outgoing call or to talk to an incoming caller before
they are switched to the hybrid.
When a call is ringing-in, the line status icon will display expanding concentric squares. Push
the
button to answer it directly on the hybrid or use the telephone set to speak with the
button. The
caller. You can move the call from the telephone to the hybrid by pressing the
telephone set will be disconnected.
When a call is taken on the hybrid, a brief mute/adapt period provides an opportunity for the
system to adapt to the line before the call goes on the air. The caller hears a “noise burst” to alert
him that he’s on the air but the noise burst isn’t heard by the audience as the output is muted
while the noise is being sent. While the caller is on the hybrid, the hybrid continuously adapts
to telephone line characteristics.
button to return the call to the telephone handset and disconnect it from the
Press the
hybrid. Hang up the phone if you want to drop the call.
When a call is active on the hybrid, pressing the
button mutes the receive audio, but keeps
the call active on the hybrid. The caller hears send audio while waiting on hold and the unit will
disconnect if the held caller hangs up or is disconnected for any reason. When a call is on hold
button, the caller audio is restored. The caller will hear the adapt noise/
and you press the
button from any other condition. Thus,
tone, about half the length of when you press the
one purpose of the Hold function is to allow a “pre-adaption” to the telephone line and a quick
take of it later.
4
| 21
Configuration Settings
Configuration of the Hx is done via DIP switch settings. There’s a quick reference guide in the
back of this book that lists the remote connector pin numbers and all of the available configuration options and their switch settings. You’ll probably use those two pages more than anything
else in this manual. There’s also a diagram at the end of this section that shows inputs, outputs,
controls and metering points. A picture is worth a thousand words, maybe more when you’re in
a hurry.
Before we lose you to the “quick reference guide” we should point out that here we provide the
details that you might need to set up your Hx most effectively. If this is your first Hx, a few
minutes with this section will help you determine which features will help you in your particular
application. Send Audio Processing
The Hx1 and Hx2 hybrid’s send-to-caller audio processing consists of the following functions:
♦♦ Sample
rate conversion
♦♦ High-pass
filter
♦♦ Anti-Feedback ♦♦ Send
the “pitch” shifter and Acoustic Echo Canceler
AGC/Limiter
Sample Rate Conversion
AES and analog input sources are sample rate converted to the hybrid’s internal sampling rate
of 8 KHz.
High-Pass filter
A high pass filter with a 300 Hz break frequency improves hybrid performance and enhances
intelligibility by removing unnecessary low frequencies from the input audio. This function is
always enabled.
Send Automatic Gain Control / Limiter
The AGC helps maintain consistent audio levels to the caller. This function is always enabled. At
moderate levels it is ‘AGC-like’ while at higher peak levels it is more ‘limiter-like’. In addition
to making levels more consistent to callers, it performs the protection limiting required to meet
Telecom regulatory requirements.
Feedback Reduction
The HX has a simple Acoustic Echo Canceler (AEC) that improves feedback performance and
cancels echo caused by ‘speaker to mike’ acoustic coupling. The HX also uses a ‘frequency shifter’
(a Telos innovation) that inserts a small, unnoticeable, shift in frequency to the send audio to
prevent feedback buildup when the system is used with open speakers. 22 | Section 4
Receive Audio Processing
The Hx1 and Hx2 hybrid’s receive audio processing consists of the following functions:
♦♦
High-pass “hum” filter
♦♦
Adaptive Echo Cancellation
♦♦ Automatic
♦♦ Noise
Gain Control
Gate
♦♦ Digital
Dynamic Equalization
♦♦ Sample
rate conversion
High-pass “hum” Filter
This filter removes hum and other unwanted low frequency noise from the caller audio. This
filter has a break frequency of 100 Hz.
Adaptive Echo Cancellation
An adaptive filter removes studio send audio from the received caller audio. It adapts continuously and naturally.
Receive Automatic Gain Control
The Hx’s smart gated AGC improves the consistency of the caller’s audio level delivered to the
studio console, without audible processing ‘artifacts’ .
An important additional feature of this AGC is that it is cross-coupled to other sections of the
hybrids and can therefore reliably distinguish between caller audio and hybrid leakage. This
allows a more aggressive gain control for bringing up low-level callers while still preserving
excellent hybrid performance.
Noise Gate
Turning on the noise gate enables the built-in downward expander. The downward expander
reduces low level line noise when no caller audio is present and reduces low level leakage. This
function is cross-coupled with the AGC and the ducking system.
Digital Dynamic Equalizer
Telephone audio frequency response varies widely as many different factors can affect it (we’ve
measured the response on a number of calls and the results were very revealing). Consequently,
some form of receive equalization is desirable. The Hx’s Digital Dynamic EQ process is the
most sophisticated equalizer available in a broadcast telephone interface. All processing is
performed in the digital domain. The Receive EQ settings control the type of equalization
applied to the receive telephone audio as follows:
♦♦ Off
- The caller audio is passed without modification.
♦♦ Fixed
- This is a simple manual equalizer.
♦♦ Adaptive
(Digital Dynamic) - This is a three band dynamic equalizer. We’ve chosen
frequency breakpoints, time constants, and other characteristics to optimize the tonal
quality of varied telephone callers. You set desired ‘target levels’ to customize the callers
spectral characteristics, which are maintained from call to call.
♦♦ Adaptive
+ Fixed - This mode separately adds a fixed amount of additional gain to the
high and low frequency bands of the three band dynamic equalizer.
CONFIGURATION SETTINGS | 23
Ducking System
The ducking function serves several purposes:
♦♦ Provides “aesthetic” control
over the caller that many programmers prefer. Allows the
announcer to “override” the caller in a way that sounds natural and appropriate.
♦♦ Reduces
feedback when the Hx is used like a speakerphone in an “open
loudspeaker’”situation.
♦♦ Dynamically
improves effective trans-hybrid loss to reduce leakage, when necessary.
When used, the Hx inserts a controlled loss (ducking) into whichever audio path (send or
receive) is not active at the moment. When the caller is speaking, this loss is inserted in the
announcer path, and when the announcer is speaking, the caller gain is reduced. The effect
is “seesaw-like”. Normally, the gain reduction is symmetrical, but, if Feedback Reduction is
enabled, the hybrid will have more ducking in the announcer-to-caller direction.
You’ll probably need more ducking when using an open loudspeaker. As noted above, ducking
helps prevent feedback and reduces echo returned to the caller.
You can select how much of this effect you prefer, from Half Duplex, which makes the hybrid
operate like a ‘one-way-at-a-time’ speakerphone, to Full Duplex (0dB) which disables ducking
altogether. The default is –6 dB.
Signal Flow and Audio Processing
The above figure illustrates the signal processing chain in both the SEND input to the caller, as
well as the caller receive to RCV output path. The Ducker is involved in both processing paths.
The figure also shows which processing stages that you can adjust via the SETTINGS and OPTIONS bank of DIP switches in the rear of the hybrid unit. See Section 4.1 for further details
regarding the DIP switch settings.
24 | Section 4
4.1 Rear Panel DIP Switch Control
On the rear panel of the Hx1 and Hx2 chassis there are two banks of DIP switches labeled
SETTINGS and OPTIONS. The SETTINGS bank of DIP switches (SW1) allows you to
control the operational levels of various signal processing stages of the hybrid unit. The OPTIONS bank of DIP switches (SW2) allows you to configure the operation of various features
of the hybrid. The two tables below show how the individual DIP switches are allocated on
each bank.
SETTINGS
Function
Bits 1 and 2
EQ LO, fixed dB gain adjustment
Bits 3 and 4
EQ HI, fixed dB gain adjustment
Bits 5 and 6
Ducker dB gain adjustment
Bits 7 and 8
AGC and Noise Gate settings
OPTIONS
Function
Bits 1 and 2
DDEQ configuration
Bits 3 and 4
Auto-Answer configuration
Bit 5
Send gain to phone
Bit 6
Hx2 internal mix-minus enable
Bit 7
Feedback Reduction enabled
Bit 8
Reserved
Dynamic Digital Equalization Configuration settings
OPTIONS Bits #1 and #2 control the overall operation of the DDEQ processing function. You
can select between OFF, Fixed EQ, Adaptive EQ, or Adaptive + Fixed EQ using the following
bit settings:
OPTIONS
Bit 1
Bit 2
Configuration Setting Value
OFF
OFF
DDEQ feature is turned OFF
OFF
ON
Fixed EQ mode (Use SETTING Bits #1, 2, 3, 4 to
set the levels)
ON
OFF
Adaptive EQ mode
[Factory Default]
CONFIGURATION SETTINGS | 25
Bit 1
Bit 2
Configuration Setting Value
ON
ON
Adapt + Fixed EQ (Use SETTING Bits #1, 2, 3, 4 to
set the Fixed levels)
You can separately specify the level of adjustment in the EQ HI and EQ LO frequency bands
when the DDEQ mode is configured for Fixed EQ mode. SETTINGS Bits #1 and #2 control
the dB adjustment for the EQ HI band, and Bits #3 and #4 control the dB adjustment for the
EQ LO band as follows:
SETTINGS
Bit 1
Bit 2
OFF
OFF
Configuration Setting Value
0 dB adjustment, EQ LO
OFF
ON
+2 dB adjustment, EQ LO
ON
OFF
+4 dB adjustment, EQ LO
ON
ON
+6 dB adjustment, EQ LO
Bit 3
Bit 4
Configuration Setting Value
OFF
OFF
0 dB adjustment, EQ HI
OFF
ON
+2 dB adjustment, EQ HI
ON
OFF
+4 dB adjustment, EQ HI
ON
ON
+6 dB adjustment, EQ HI
[Factory Default]
SETTINGS
[Factory Default]
You are encouraged to try varying levels of EQ boost to make your telephone audio warmer and
clearer. Our factory default settings should be considered a safe starting point. Because tastes
and situations differ, we don’t presume to make those choices for you. Our testing does suggest
that utilizing the full 6 db boost works well in most cases, dramatically enhancing telephone
audio.
We suggest that you set up your phones like you would any other audio processing device: adjust
and listen critically and repeat this process until you’re satisfied.
Ducker Configuration settings
SETTINGS Bits #5 and #6 control the overall operation of the Ducker processing function.
You can select between full-duplex (no ducking), -6 dB, -12 dB, or half-duplex (one way at a
time) using the following bit settings:
SETTINGS
Bit 5
Bit 6
Configuration Setting Value
OFF
OFF
Full Duplex (no attenutation)
OFF
ON
-6 dB attenuation
ON
OFF
-12 dB attenuation
ON
ON
Half Duplex
[Factory Default]
26 | Section 4
Receive AGC and Noise Gate Configuration settings
SETTINGS Bits #7 and #8 jointly control the operation of the receive AGC and Noise Gate
processing functions. You can select how aggressively low level signals are brought up to the
nominal (+4 dBu) level using the following bit settings:
SETTINGS
Bit 7
Bit 8
Configuration Setting Value
OFF
OFF
Phone AGC = OFF,
Noise Gate = OFF
OFF
ON
Phone AGC = 1/2 Full,
Noise Gate = OFF
ON
OFF
Phone AGC = Full
Noise Gate = OFF
ON
ON
Phone AGC = Full
Noise Gate = Normal
[Factory Default]
Auto-Answer Configuration settings
OPTIONS Bits #3 and #4 jointly control the operation of the Auto-Answer feature of the
hybrid. You can select between turning the feature off, or set the number of rings before the
incoming call is answered and the placed on air as follows:
OPTIONS
Bit 3
Bit 4
Configuration Setting Value
OFF
OFF
Auto-Answer = OFF,
[Factory Default]
OFF
ON
Auto-Answer = ON,
Auto-answer after first ring
ON
OFF
Auto-Answer = ON
Auto-answer after third ring
ON
ON
Auto-Answer = ON
Auto-answer after eighth ring
Send extra gain to caller configuration setting
The Hx1 and Hx2 hybrid units have been designed to send a -9 dBu average level to the
telephone line, to meet the USA’s FCC regulations. OPTION Bit #5 adds 3dB of gain to the
send level heard by the caller. This should only be used when the hybrid is connected to a PBX
or in countries outside of the USA that permit a higher transmit level.
OPTIONS
Bit 5
Configuration Setting Value
OFF
No additional gain is applied
ON
+3 dB additional gain is applied to the audio sent to the caller
[Factory Default]
CONFIGURATION SETTINGS | 27
Hx2 Internal Mix-Minus Configuration setting
The Hx2 can operate as two independent hybrids or be configured to perform an internal mixminus between the two hybrids.
OPTIONS
Bit 6
Configuration Setting Value
OFF
Independent: Internal mix-minus is disabled.
ON
Coupled: Internal mix-minus is enabled.
[Factory Default]
Feedback Reduction enable
The Hx 1 and Hx2 has an optional Acoustic Echo Canceler in the Studio send path. This can be
used when there is acoustic coupling between a loudspeaker connected to the hybrid output and
a microphone connected to the input. Enabling feedback reduction also causes the ducker to
insert more loss into the announcer-to-caller direction when the caller is dominant.
OPTIONS
Bit 7
Configuration Setting Value
OFF
Acoustic Echo Canceler is disabled [Factory Default]
ON
Acoustic Echo Canceler is enabled (use in “open speaker” situation)
Reserved bit
OPTIONS Bit #8 is set aside as RESERVED for future use.
OPTIONS
Bit #8
Configuration Setting Value
OFF
Reserved for future use [Factory Default]
ON
Not Recommended
4.3 Country Specific Configuration Settings
There is a third bank of DIP switches located inside the Hx chassis. This switch bank is used to
set country specific voltage and line impedance settings and to set the Call Progress Tone to be
detected if Call Progress Tone Disconnect is used.
The Factory Default setting is all 8 bits set to the OFF position (labeled OPEN on the
switch). This default configuration is set for operation within the United States and Canada
(North American telephone line characteristics, and the ‘precise’ dial-tone signal for Call
Progress Tone Disconnect).
You must remove the top cover of the chassis to gain access to third bank of DIP switches
located on the Hx motherboard. The chassis cover should only be removed by a qualified
technician. AC power must be disconnected prior to removing the cover.
28 | Section 4
The internal DIP switch bank is divided up into two subsets of 4 switches each:
♦♦ Bits
#1 through 4 configure the Hx’s telephone interface circuitry to match the telephone line impedance and voltage characteristics of the country where the hybrid is used.
♦♦ Bits
#5 through 8 configure Call Progress Tone Detection to match the call progress tones used by various countries or central office switches. Call progress tones (Dial tone, busy tone, etc) can be used to make the Hx disconnect when loop current signaling is not available or is unreliable. Call Progress Tone Disconnect is active only on Auto-Answered incoming calls to prevent undesired disconnections. It may be disabled if the feature causes problems in your application. See internal DIP switch settings table below.
Table 1 lists what telephone network characteristics are being selected by Bits #1 through 4.
Table 2 lists the Call Progress Tone Detection characteristics being selected by Bits #5 through 8. Table 3 lists the recommended DIP switch settings for each country. Reorder tone is a “fast
busy” signal often used to indicate network congestion or error conditions.
Table 1 - Internal DIP Switch bank
Bit 1
Bit 2
Bit 3
Bit 4
Telephone Network
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
USA, Canada
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
Japan, low voltage networks
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
FCC compliant countries
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
CRT21, Europe (real line impedance)
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
Custom country configuration
OFF
ON
OFF
ON
Custom country configuration
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
Custom country configuration
OFF
ON
ON
ON
Europe (complex line impedance)
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
Custom country configuration
CONFIGURATION SETTINGS | 29
Bit 1
Bit 2
Bit 3
Bit 4
Telephone Network
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
Custom country configuration
ON
OFF
ON
OFF
Custom country configuration
ON
OFF
ON
ON
Reserved for future use
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
Reserved
ON
ON
OFF
ON
Reserved
ON
ON
ON
OFF
Reserved
ON
ON
ON
ON
Reserved
TABLE 2 – Internal DIP Switch bank
Bit 5
Bit 6
Bit 7
Bit 8
CPTD Signal characteristics
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
US dial tone
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
US re-order signal
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
WORLD, single freq. Dial tone
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
WORLD, Re-order, ON=155 - 550, OFF=155 – 550 msec
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
WORLD, Re-order, ON=250 - 1200, OFF=250 – 1200 msec
OFF
ON
OFF
ON
WORLD, multi-tone dial tone
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
WORLD, multi-tone dial tone
OFF
ON
ON
ON
WORLD, pulse dial tone, ON=150 - 350, OFF=450 – 1100 msec
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
WORLD, pulse dial tone, ON=100 - 250, OFF=200 – 400 msec
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
Reserved for future use
ON
OFF
ON
OFF
Reserved
ON
OFF
ON
ON
Reserved
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
Reserved
ON
ON
OFF
ON
Reserved
ON
ON
ON
OFF
Reserved
ON
ON
ON
ON
CPTD feature is disabled
Table 3 - Recommended Internal DIP Switch for each Country
Country
Bit 1
Bit 2
Bit 3
Bit 4
Bit 5
Bit 6
Bit 7
Bit 8
Argentina
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Australia
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
Austria
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Bahrain
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Belgium
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Brazil
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Bulgaria
OFF
ON
ON
ON
OFF
ON
ON
ON
30 | Section 4
Country
Bit 1
Bit 2
Bit 3
Bit 4
Bit 5
Bit 6
Bit 7
Bit 8
Canada
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
Chile
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
China
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Colombia
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Croatia
OFF
ON
ON
ON
OFF
ON
ON
ON
CTR21
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Cyprus
OFF
ON
ON
ON
OFF
ON
OFF
ON
Czech Repub
OFF
ON
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Denmark
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
Ecuador
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Egypt
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
El Salvador
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Finland
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
France
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
Germany
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
Greece
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Guam
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Hong Kong
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
Hungary
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
Iceland
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
India
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Indonesia
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Ireland
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Israel
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Italy
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
Japan
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
Jordan
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Kazakhstan
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Kuwait
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Latvia
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Lebanon
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Luxembourg
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Macao
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Malaysia
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Malta
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Mexico
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Morocco
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Netherlands
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
New Zealand
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Nigeria
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
North Korea
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Norway
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Oman
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
CONFIGURATION SETTINGS | 31
Country
Bit 1
Bit 2
Bit 3
Bit 4
Bit 5
Bit 6
Bit 7
Bit 8
Pakistan
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Peru
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF z
ON
OFF
Philippines
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Poland
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Portugal
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Romania
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Russia
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Saudi Arabia
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Singapore
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
Slovakia
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
ON
Slovenia
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
ON
South Africa
ON
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
South Korea
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Spain
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Sweden
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
Switzerland
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Syria
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Taiwan
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
Thailand
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
Turkey
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
UAE
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
United Kingdom
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
ON
OFF
ON
USA
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
Yemen
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
32 | Section 4
Factory Default Configuration Settings
These settings will work in most cases and should be considered to be a “starting point”. The following is the Factory Default Configuration for the SETTINGS, OPTIONS, and
Internal Telephone Network/Call Progress Tone Detection (CPTD) DIP switches:
Bit 1
Bit 2
Bit 3
Bit 4
Bit 5
Bit 6
Bit 7
Bit 8
SETTINGS
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
Bits 1 and 2
EQ LO, fixed dB gain adjustment
=> 0 dB gain
Bits 3 and 4
EQ HI, fixed dB gain adjustment
=> 0 dB gain
Bits 5 and 6
Ducker dB gain adjustment
=> -6 dB ducking
Bits 7 and 8
AGC and Noise Gate settings
=> AGC is FULL, Noise Gate is OFF
Bit 1
Bit 2
Bit 3
Bit 4
Bit 5
Bit 6
Bit 7
Bit 8
OPTIONS
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
Bits 1 and 2
DDEQ configuration
=> Dynamic EQ is enabled
Bits 3 and 4
Auto-Answer configuration
=> feature is OFF
Bit 5
Send gain to phone
=> feature is OFF
Bit 6
Hx2 internal mix-minus enable
=> feature is OFF
Bit 7
Feedback Reduction enabled
=> feature is OFF
Bit 8
Reserved
Bit 1
Bit 2
Bit 3
Bit 4
Bit 5
Bit 6
Bit 7
Bit 8
INTERNAL
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
Bits 1 through 4
Telephone Network configuration
=> USA, Canada
Bits 5 through 8
Call Progress Tone Detection
=> USA dial tone
5
| 33
AES I/O OPTION
5.1 Installation Instructions
The Hx1 and Hx2 hybrid units can be purchased with the optional AES I/O module preinstalled, or as an upgrade kit to be installed in the field. The AES board Upgrade Kit [201100068] includes the following items:
1701-00149-100(Qty =1) AES Board assembly
1308-00023-100(Qty =2) board standoff, M3x10mm, MF
1301-00077-100(Qty =2) screw, M3x6mm Phillips Pan-Head steel zinc
The following instructions explain the steps to install the AES I/O module onto the motherboard using the upgrade kit. Chassis cover removal and upgrade kit installation should only
be performed by a qualified technician or engineer.
1. AC power must be disconnected prior to removing the chassis cover. Remove the AC
power cable from the power inlet in the back of the hybrid unit.
2. Remove the 10 Phillips screws that mount the top cover to the hybrid chassis.
3. Locate the two sets of four jumpers each at both JP3 and JP4 on the motherboard.
Likewise, locate edge connector JP5 on the motherboard. (See figure below). Remove
the jumpers from both JP3 and JP4 and reserve them for future use if you like. (These
jumpers must be re-installed if the AES I/O module is removed and the Hx is converted
back to analog operation).
4. Locate the two gold plated mounting holes shown in the figure. Take one of the board
standoffs (1308-00023-100) and screw the male end into the mounting hole located
between JP3 and JP4. Take the other standoff and screw the male end into the mounting
34 | Section 5
hole located below capacitor C137.
5. Align connectors JR2 and JR1 on the AES plug-in module with JP4 and JP3 on the
motherboard. Likewise, align connector JP1 on the plug-in module with JP5 on the
motherboard. (See figure below). Push firmly to seat the plug-in module onto the motherboard. Visually confirm that connector JR2 fits onto all four sets of pins on JP4, and
JR1 connector fits onto all four sets of pins on JP3.
6. Take the two mounting screws from the kit (1301-00077-100) and install them into the
female side of the board standoffs in order to secure the AES I/O module to the hybrid
motherboard.
7. Reinstall the top cover using the 10 Phillips screws.
8. Plug the AC power cord back into the socket and wait for the unit to power up. The hybrid
unit will automatically detect the presence of the AES plug-in module, and directly transmit and receive digital data at the clock rate of the AES source plugged into the SEND IN
XLR input connector.
9. You can use the built-in diagnostic mode of the hybrid unit to confirm that the AES I/O
module is working properly. Refer to Section 6 of the User’s Manual for instructions on
how to enter this mode of operation. Test “T2” is a loopback test that takes audio present
AES I/O option | 35
at the SEND IN XLR connector and loops it back to the RCV OUT XLR connector
unprocessed. The input signal and output signal levels are also displayed on the Front
Panel SND and RCV LED bar graph meters.
5.2 AES Channel Assignment
The studio input signal should be on the LEFT AES channel feeding the SEND IN XLR
connector. The studio output signal is present on the LEFT AES channel on the RCV OUT
XLR connector.
When the two hybrids are operating independently (internal mix-minus mode is disabled), the
separate studio input signals should be on the LEFT AES channel being fed into the respective
SEND IN #1 and SEND IN #2 XLR connectors. The studio output signals will be brought
out separately on the LEFT AES channel on the respective RCV OUT #1 and RCV OUT #2
XLR connectors.
When the internal mix-minus mode is enabled on the Hx2 hybrid unit, only the LEFT AES
channel being fed into SEND IN #1 is used as the studio input signal to BOTH hybrids. The
studio output signals are brought out separately on the LEFT AES channel on the respective
RCV OUT #1 and RCV OUT #2 XLR connectors.
5.3 Restoring an AES equipped unit to analog operation
1. With power removed, remove the unit cover and the two mounting screws that fasten the
AES daughter board to the main board.
2. Remove and store the AES daughter board.
3. Install 2 sets of four jumpers each on JP3 and JP4 locations on the main board. Analog
audio will now be present on the rear panel XLR connectors.
4. Replace cover and verify proper operation.
| 37
6
Troubleshooting
6.1 On-board Diagnostics
Pressing and holding the
button for 3 seconds puts the unit into a self-diagnostic mode.
When the unit is in diagnostic mode, the Line Status display shows the current diagnostic state.
This mode is only intended to provide status information, and to confirm if the hybrid unit is
operational. NOTE: The left hybrid front panel buttons control diagnostics of both hybrids on
an Hx2 unit.
6.1.1 Software Version
Upon entering the diagnostic mode of operation, the Line Status display should indicate the
letter ‘V’. The major revision number is displayed on the SND LED bargraph, and the minor
revision number is displayed on the RCV LED bargraph. Simply count the number of illuminated LEDs in each bargraph for the respective version numbers. In the figure below, one
segment is lit on the SND meter, and two segments are lit on the RCV meter. The software
revision number shown in this figure is Version 1.2.
6.1.2 DIP Switch Status
Press the hybrid
button to advance to the next diagnostic test. The Line Status display
should indicate the letter ‘S’. The SETTINGS bank of DIP switches is displayed on the
SND meter bargraph, the OPTIONS bank of DIP switches is displayed on the RCV meter
bargraph, and the internal bank of DIP switches is displayed on the EQ LO meter bargraph.
For each bank of DIP switches, the status of Bit #1 is shown on the bottom LED segment of
the bargraph, while the status of Bit #8 is shown on the top LED segment of the bargraph. If
the switch is set to the ON position, the corresponding LED segment will light up. The figure
below shows the Factory Default DIP switch settings. (All the bits of the internal DIP switch
38 | Section 6
bank are set to the OFF position for Factor Default setting, thus no LEDs are lit on the EQ
LO meter).
6.1.3 T1 Test - 400 Hz Tone Generation
Press the hybrid
button to advance to the next diagnostic test. The Line Status display
should indicate ‘T1’. The DSP chip on the motherboard generates a 400 sine wave that is sent
to the RCV OUT XLR connector for each hybrid. The output level of the sine wave at the XLR
is +20 dBu, and the output level should be displayed on the RCV meter bargraph. (See figure
below).
The diagnostic test also takes the telephone line off-hook and outputs a –7 dBm, 400 Hz sine
wave. A telephone line or line simulator must be plugged into the LINE RJ11 jack to activate
the telephone interface circuitry on the hybrid motherboard. The 400 Hz tone will also be
audible on the PHONE RJ11 jack, but it will be heard mixed in with the telco’s dial-tone or
re-order tone.
6.1.4 T2 Test - Studio Loopback
Press the hybrid
button to advance to the next diagnostic test. The Line Status display
should indicate ‘T2’. This test simply takes audio present on the SEND IN XLR connector
and loops it back to the RCV OUT XLR connector without any processing. The loopback test
works with either analog or AES inputs.
This diagnostic test can be used to adjust the INPUT LEVEL pot located in the back of the
hybrid chassis. Connect a +4 dBu signal and adjust the INPUT LEVEL pot until the yellow
LED segment illuminates. (See figure below).
troubleshooting | 39
6.1.5 T3 Test - Feed Through Test
Press the
button to advance to the next diagnostic test. The Line Status display should
indicate ‘T3’. This test takes audio present at the SEND IN XLR connector and feeds it to the
LINE RJ11 connector without any processing. Likewise, whatever signal is being fed into the
LINE RJ11 connector will be routed to the RCV OUT XLR connector.
This test enables you to test the studio and telephone input and output levels. If you like, press
button to skip past this diagnostic test. After the last test in the sequence is complete,
the
the unit will reset itself and return to normal operation.
6.2 Hardware Repairs
A consequence of modern surface-mount construction is that it is frequently no longer possible
for local repairs to be made. Special and expensive equipment is required to change parts. As
well, today’s equipment is complicated and requires repair technicians to have specific product
experience and training and access to high-end test equipment.
At the same time, the advent of overnight delivery services means that equipment can be
returned to the factory for quick turn-around repair. Therefore, we do not expect you to repair
this unit at the component level, and we do not include schematics of the unit in the manual.
Upon request, our support staff can fax or mail you a schematic, should you need one. Please see
the first pages of this manual for proper procedures on returning units for repair.
7
| 41
Specifications
7.0 Specifications
ANALOG INPUTS
Send Analog Inputs
1 for Hx1, 2 for Hx2 (one per hybrid)
Connector
XLR Female, Pin 2 High (Active Balanced, RF Suppressed)
Input Range Selectable between MIC and LINE levels
Line Input Level Adjustable from -10 to +8 dBu
Bridging > 50 K Ohms
+21 dBu
Impedance Analog Clip Point A/D Converter Resolution
24 bits
ANALOG OUTPUTS
Receive Analog Outputs 1 for Hx1, 2 for Hx2 (one per hybrid)
Connector XLR Male, Pin 3 High (Active Balanced, RF Suppressed)
Output Level Nominal +4 dBu, fixed
Impedance < 50 Ohms
D/A Converter Resolution
24 bits
Headroom Before Clipping 20 dB headroom from +4 dBu nominal levels
AUDIO PERFORMANCE
Frequency Response 200 to 3400 Hz, +/- 1 dB
THD+N/Input < 0.5% THD+N using 1 KHz sine wave
Dynamic Range
Analog in to Analog out, studio loop mode, 10 hz – 20 khz A-
weighted > 92 db
Signal to Noise Analog Output, referenced to a -12dbm phone line, (producing a +4 dbu output), 10 hz-20 Khz A weighted > 72dB
AES Digital Input / Output (Optional plug-in module)
Overview Plug-in module converts the XLR inputs and outputs to AES3
(one input or output on left channel of AES stream)
42 | Section 7
Rate Conversion
Sample Rate Converters on all inputs and outputs. Inputs can
accept 32, 44.1, and 48 KHz rates. Clock for outputs may be
sourced from the AES inputs or internally-generated at 48 KHz
Input Level Nominal at -20 dBFs
Output Level Nominal at -20 dBFs
| 43
8
Warranty and Application Caution
Warranty and Application Caution
Telos Hx1 & Hx2 Digital Hybrid Telephone Interface LIMITED WARRANTY.
This Warranty covers “the Products,” which are defined as the various audio equipment, parts,
software and accessories manufactured, sold and/or distributed by TLS Corp., d/b/a Telos
Systems (hereinafter “Telos Systems”).
With the exception of software-only items, the Products are warranted to be free from defects in
material and workmanship for a period of one year from the date of receipt by the end-user.
Software-only items are warranted to be free from defects in material and workmanship for a
period of 90 days from the date of receipt by the end-user.
This warranty is void if the Product is subject to Acts of God, including (without limitation)
lightning; improper installation or misuse, including (without limitation) the failure to use
telephone and power line surge protection devices; accident; neglect or damage.
EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE-STATED WARRANTY, TELOS SYSTEMS MAKES NO
WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED (INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES
OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE).
In no event will Telos Systems, its employees, agents or authorized dealers be liable for incidental or consequential damages, or for loss, damage, or expense directly or indirectly arising from
the use of any Product or the inability to use any Product either separately or in combination
with other equipment or materials, or from any other cause.
In order to invoke this Warranty, notice of a warranty claim must be received by Telos Systems
within the above-stated warranty period and warranty coverage must be authorized by Telos
Systems. If Telos Systems authorizes the performance of warranty service, the defective Product
must be delivered, shipping prepaid, to:
Telos Systems,
1241 Superior Avenue,
Cleveland, Ohio 44114.
Telos Systems at its option will either repair or replace the Product and such action shall be the
full extent of Telos Systems’ obligation under this Warranty. After the Product is repaired or
replaced, Telos Systems will return it to the party that sent the Product and Telos Systems will
pay for the cost of shipping.
Telos Systems’ authorized dealers are not authorized to assume for Telos Systems any additional
obligations or liabilities in connection with the dealers’ sale of the Products. Telos Systems
products are to be used with registered protective interface devices that satisfy regulatory
requirements in their country of origin.
appendix 1 | telephone terminology guide | A1
A1
Telephone Terminology Guide You’ll get better results from the Telco if you understand, and speak, the lingo! We have tried to
include the typical acronyms used by Telco personnel. We’ve put the definition under the most
commonly used acronym. Telephony Technology is changing rapidly! This glossary was updated
in September 2010. It will be outdated by the time the ink is dry.
The Telos website (http://www.telos-systems.com) is your best source of up to date information about broadcast telephony. The terms here are mainly related to Access Technologies and
broadcast industry telephony common at the time of writing.
1MB – USOC term for a single Measured Business line in the US. See USOC.
1FB – USOC term for a single Flat Rate Business line in the US. See USOC.
1FR – USOC term for a single Flat Rate Residential line in the US. See USOC.
5ESS - The 5ESS Switch is a Class 5 telephone electronic switching system sold by AlcatelLucent. This digital central office telephone circuit switching system is used by many telephone
companies. It is one of the most common Central Office switches used in the US.
Analog Terminal Adapter - a device used to connect one or more standard analog telephones
(POTS) to a digital telephone system (such as a Voice over IP network) or a proprietary
telephone system such as a PBX or Key System.
ADSL – Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber line. Most common type of telephone company
delivered Internet access. The download/downstream direction is usually at a higher rate than
the upload/upstream direction. Most often installed as “Line Share DSL”, that is the DSL “rides
on top of ” the POTS line. “Dry Pair DSL” is usually available for customers desiring only the
data service. At the time of this writing Speeds are as fast as 7.1 Mbps down and 768kbps up,
with faster speeds available soon through newly deployed technologies. Service availability is
limited by loop length and cable type.
AMI – Alternate Mark Inversion. A T1 line coding method. See line coding, T1. See Also
B8ZS.
ANI – Automatic Number Identification- A system, originally designed for use by Interexchange carriers (IXCs), that transmits the “billed party number” along with a call. Note that the
billed party number is not necessarily the number of the line placing the call. ANI predates SS7
and can operate with analog as well as digital trunks. See also CLID and Caller ID.
Asynchronous Data - A form of serial data communication that is not clocked. To keep the
bit stream synchronized, start and stop bits are added, which cuts down on throughput. RS-232
computer data is commonly asynchronous data. In contrast to synchronous data.
A2 | Appendix 1
ATA – see Analog Terminal Adapter.
B8ZS- Bipolar 8 (with) Zero Substitution. A T1 line coding method. This is the more modern
and most common line coding method of the two commonly available. See Line Coding, T1.
See also AMI.
Behind the PBX- This is our own term, and refers to when one privately owned phone system
is tied to another privately owned phone system. The most common application is when a key
system is connected to analog ports of a PBX. When it involves one PBX behind another, it is a
limited Tandem application. See Tandem Switch and Tandem Tie Trunk Switching below.
Bell Operating Company. See BOC. See also RBOC. Most often called “LEC’ (Local
Exchange Carrier) at the time of this writing. Few companies use the Bell name in the US any
longer, though it is used in Canada.
Bellcore- BELL Communications Research. See Telcordia. The research and development
organization owned by the RBOCs. Bellcore represents the RBOCs in developing standards for
Telco equipment and in testing equipment compliance to those standards. Bellcore also offers
educational and training programs open to all interested parties. Now Telcordia. See Telcordia.
BERT - 1) Bit Error Rate Test- A test for digital lines which involves looping a data path
and sending a test pattern. Data returning is compared to the sent data to check for errors.
Depending on the “Test Pattern” used, BERTs may or may not uncover problems. A line, which
only has occasional problems, will need a BERT of sufficient time duration to catch that intermittent problem. A five minute BERT of an ISDN BRI circuit will only catch severe problems.
BERT - 2) Bit Error Rate Tester. The test equipment used to perform a Bit Error Rate Test.
Billing Telephone Number- The main phone number which all calls on hunt group or a PRI
are billed to. This information may be required when configuring a PRI PBX.
Bit Error Rate- The basic measure of errors on digital transmission paths. It is usually expressed
as the number of errors per number of bits.
Bit Error Rate Test-See BERT.
Bit Rate- The capacity of a digital channel. See Kbps.
BLEC- Building Local Exchange Carrier. A LEC who covers the occupants of a single building (or a small group of buildings) only. Often Telecom services are provided by a BLEC as a
service or incentive to potential tenants. If a BLEC offers Long Distance Service it is covered by
the same regulations as any other LEC.
Blue Alarm- Also called an Alarm Indicating Signal (AIS). A keep-alive signal sent if a
problem occurs mid-span in a T-carrier system. The blue alarm signal is required because in
some cases T-1 repeaters will become unstable if inadequate 1’s density is not maintained.
BOC - Bell Operating Company. One of the regional telephone companies that were owned by
AT&T before divestiture in 1984 (i.e. New England Telephone, Ohio Bell, etc). The 22 BOCs
were divided among the RBOCs at divestiture. See RBOC.
Both Way Trunks- see combination trunks.
BTN- See Billing Telephone Number.
Business Office- The part of the phone company where you call if they mess up your bill, to
report problems, and to order service. Not necessarily technically literate.
Caller ID- A CLASS feature on an analog line that provides the number of the calling line as
a burst of FSK data (Bell 202 modem tones) following the first ring. Also called Calling Line
Identification. See also CLASS.
Telephone Terminology Guide | A3
Calling Line ID- See CLID. See also Caller ID.
Calling Party Control- See CPC.
Call Progress Tones – Tones used in the telephone network to indicate call status or progress
through the network. This includes dial tone, ring back tone, re-order (or fast busy) tone, Special
Information Tones (SIT’s), etc. The Telos Hx can be set to listen for these tones and disconnect
when one is heard if CPC is not available or is unreliable.
CAS -Channel Associated Signaling. A bit-based signaling method used on digital lines (such
as T1) that is periodically inserted into the low order bit also used for the audio transmission.
See Robbed Bit Signaling.
CCIS- Common Channel Interoffice Signaling. A signaling system where network information
such as address and routing information are handled externally to the actual communications
(voice) path. SS7 (Signaling System 7) is the internationally standardized CCIS system.
Deployment of CCIS increased efficiency since no communications (voice) channels are used
merely to report an “all trunks busy” or “far end busy” conditions. It also decreased toll fraud
substantially since it removed the potential for access to the signaling information that was
inherent to in-band signaling schemes. CCIS also enables CLASS features as well as sophisticated re-routing features for “intelligent network” applications. See also in-band signaling. See
also SS7.
Central Office- See CO.
Centrex - Central Exchange Service. An enhanced business telephone service intended to offer
most of the features of a PBX but where the lines are all from the LEC out of a public switch.
Offers CLASS-like features for business users such as 4-digit “inside” dialing, hold, transfer,
attendant, etc.
CEPT- Conference on European Posts & Telecommunications. This is a European standards
body that formerly set the standards for telephone interfaces for 26 countries.
CEPT Format- The usual rate and frame format for E1 circuits. 2.048 mbps. See E1.
CEPT Rate- See CEPT format. See also E1.
Channel Associated Signaling- See CAS. See also Robbed Bit Signaling.
Channel Bank - a device that multiplexes or demultiplexes a group of communications channels, such as analog or digital telephone lines, into one channel of higher bandwidth or higher
digital bit rate, such as a DS-1 (T1) circuit. See also Pair Gain.
Choke Exchange- A telephone exchange, which is assigned to Radio and TV stations, Promoters, and other users that will be receiving large numbers of simultaneous calls. The idea is to
group all of these users on a single exchange so when all routes into that exchange are in use
“normal” users (on other exchanges) will not experience blocking of incoming or outgoing calls.
Trunks from other local exchanges into the choke exchange are deliberately limited to just a few
paths so callers will get an “all trunks busy” instead of completely blocking their local exchange.
However, when one of the choke exchange users experiences a large number of calls (as when
your station runs a contest) the other choke exchange users will be blocked because all trunks
into the choke exchange will be busy. In the modern network, using CCIS signaling such as
SS7, actual trunks are not used to convey “busy” or “all trunks busy” conditions. Thus blocking
due to a station contest should not occur as the busy status in response to a call attempt is
conveyed over the separate SS7 network. Therefore, the need for choke exchanges has pretty
much disappeared. Nonetheless, many Telcos still insist that Broadcasters use special choke lines
for call-in lines. Much of the need for the “choke network” is historical. Few current telephone
company employees understand this or it’s history. They only seem to believe that it’s “required”.
A4 | Appendix 1
Unless very aggressive contesting is planned, these arrangements should probably best be
avoided. See blocking and concentration.
Circuit- A physical path through which electrical signals can pass. It consists of a network of
conductors and other components, separated by insulators. Technically this term cannot be
applied to fiber optic or other “non-metallic” paths. See also channel.
Circuit Switching- A system where a dedicated channel is allocated to the users of that call
for the duration of that call. That channel is allocated for the duration of the call regardless if
information is being transmitted at any given moment. Bandwidth through the channel is fixed,
at no time may this bandwidth be exceeded. If this bandwidth is not used it is wasted. While
inherently inefficient, the dependable and reliable nature of circuit switching makes it ideally
suited to real-time voice and audio/video conferencing applications. When over loaded Circuit
Switched networks will respond “all circuits are busy… try again later”. This is in stark contrast
to packet switched networks or to systems where statistical multiplexing is used. See statistical
multiplexing and Packet Switching.
CLASS- Custom Local Area Signaling Services. A variety of enhanced features (usually on
analog lines) that take advantage of the ability of modern SS7 technology’s ability to transmit
information about the calling party. CLASS includes such features as Caller ID, Automatic
Callback, Call Trace (initiated by subscriber), Selective Call Screening, etc.
Class 4 switch - A Class 4, or Tandem, telephone switch is a U.S. telephone company central
office switch used to connect local exchange (class 5) central offices for long distance communications in the Public Switched Telephone Network. See Class 4 or Class 4/5 switches,
Class 4/5 switch – Also called a “Hi/Lo” switch. This is a US telephone company central office
switch that provides both local and long distance service. Many CLEC’s are configured in this
way. See Class 4 or Class 5 switches.
Class 5 switch - A Class 5 telephone switch is a telephone switch or telephone exchange in the
Public Switched Telephone Network located at the local telephone company’s central office,
directly serving subscribers. Services provided include basic dial-tone, calling features, and
additional digital and data services to subscribers using the local loop. It is considered a “local
switch’.
CLEC- Competitive Local Exchange Carrier. Your local telephone service provider who is one
of the new-generation providers rather than a RBOC or Independent. A CLEC is really just an
independent, albeit one formed after the divestiture of AT&T. See LEC and Independent.
CLI - Calling Line Identity. European term for CLID. See CLID.
CLID- Calling Line Identification. This is the ISDN and SS7 equivalent of Caller ID; I.E. the
number of the calling party. See also Caller ID and ANI.
CO- Central Office. The Telco facility to which your local telephone circuits lead. Contains
“Switches” and “Trunks” as well as the local telephone circuits.
Codec- COder/DECoder. A device which takes digitized audio and “codes” it in order to
reduce the transmission bit rate and which can also simultaneously “decode” such coded audio.
Strictly speaking, a codec does not include an ISDN terminal adapter and related equipment.
Simple codecs are also used in digital telephony. These use a simple companding scheme to
reduce channel noise.
COL - COnnected Line number. European Term. The number to which you have connected.
This may not be the number you dialed if call forwarding is used.
Combination Trunk- A trunk (channel) which can both make and receive calls. This generally
refers to analog ground start or loop start trunks, although the term can be applied to ISDN
Telephone Terminology Guide | A5
BRI or PRI channels as well. Each combination trunk normally has a telephone number,
although they are frequently part of a hunt group and only one number may be published for
that group. Also called a Both Way Trunk. This is not the same as a Two-way DID trunk. See
DID trunk, Hunt Group and Trunk.
Common Channel Interoffice Signaling- See CCIS.
Competitive Local Exchange Carrier- See CLEC.
Concentration- The basic premise is to share facilities wherever possible. For instance, while
there may be thousands of customers served by a given Central Office, there will be substantially
less than that number of calls which can be handled simultaneously. And, even fewer long
distance calls can be made simultaneously. The art of Traffic Engineering is to have enough
capacity that calls are rarely blocked, but no more than that number. See also Choke Exchange
and Blocking.
CPC- Calling Party Control. Sometimes referred to as “CPC Wink” or “disconnect supervision”. A call supervision feature on an analog loop start line that provides the ability for a CO
(Central Office) to signal the called party when the calling party hangs up. CPC allows the
PBX, key system, or telephone answering device to reset the line so that it is ready to accept or
initiate another call. CPC is accomplished by either a loop current drop or reversal. With some
CO equipment, it is also provided if the called party drops the call. See also MCLD.
CPE- Customer Premise Equipment- Customer owned equipment located at his/her facility,
such as a CSU or terminal. In the USA and Canada, the ISDN NT1 is part of the CPE.
CPN - Called Party Number - European Term. The number that has been dialed. See Called
Party Address.
CSU- Channel Service Unit. The NCTE used in the USA & Canada to terminate a T1 line.
Typically the CSU must be provided by the end user. See NCTE, NIU and DSX1
CSU/DSU- A device which incorporates the functions of a CSU (Channel Service Unit) and
a DSU (Data Service Unit) Most commonly it interfaces between a Switched-56 or Dedicated
Digital Service circuit and a user’s data equipment such as the Zephyr.
D4- See Superframe. See also Line Format.
DCE- Data Communication Equipment. When using serial communications such RS-232,
V.35, or X.21, the DCE is the device sending/receiving from the Telco line. i.e.: a modem or
CSU/DSU. In contrast to DTE.
Dedicated Circuit- A permanent channel between two locations. As opposed to a Switched
Circuit.
Demarc – the point of “Demarcation”. That is, where the telephone company’s responsibility
ends, and the customers begins. Most often in “the main phone closet” or basement terminal. At
one time, a special block was required for a Demarc, one for each customer with a simple way
to disconnect the customers wiring from the Telco’s wiring at the demarc point. This has been
abandoned. Most often today, when you order service, it will be “to the demarc” only, and they’ll
(usually) provide a tag or “cable and pair” number so that you can locate the circuit in question.
Residential phones still usually have a demarc in the form of a (usually) gray box mounted to the
side of the house. It most often provides remote line disconnection facilities (for remote testing
by the phone company) and a customer accessible modular jack to allow the customer to verify
proper operation of the line at the side of the house, “before” the house wiring.
DID- Direct Inward Dialing. The ability for an outside caller to dial to a PBX extension
without going through an attendant or auto-attendant. See also DID Number and DID Trunk.
A6 | Appendix 1
DID Extension or DID station - A specific phone within a PBX which can be called from the
public telephone network without going through an attendant or auto-attendant.
DID Number- A phone number used to route calls from the telephone network to a specific
phone in a PBX (the DID extension). DID requires special DID trunks or ISDN PRI “twoway DID” trunks. Blocks of DID numbers (typically 10 or 20, sometimes higher) are purchased
from the LEC or CLEC for use on the PBX. The number of DID numbers usually substantially
exceeds the number of trunks in the system.
DID Trunk- A Direct Inward Dialing Trunk. A trunk (channel) which can only receive calls. A
group of telephone numbers (DID numbers) are associated with a given trunk group, however
there is no one-to-one correspondence between the individual channels and these numbers. The
PBX uses the DID number given it by the phone company to route the channel to the correct
DID extension within the PBX. This allows some or all PBX stations to receive calls directly
without going through an attendant (or auto attendant). Note that there are usually more DID
numbers than there are DID trunks. See DID number and DID extension.
Direct Inward Dialing- See DID.
Directory Number (USA & Canada)- Your seven digit telephone number (without the area
code), as found in the telephone directory.
DMS-100 – Nortel’s very popular central office switch provides local POTS service and connectivity to the public switched telephone network. It is used widely in countries throughout the
world.
DNIS- Dialed Number Identification Service- A service, typically offered by a long distance
company on 800 lines, that provides the number dialed by the caller. This allows a caller to
receive specific treatment depending on the number dialed.
DP - Dial Pulse. A method of sending address information by either 1) Causing brief interruptions in loop current or 2) Causing brief changes of state of a bit on a digital circuit using
Channel Associated Signaling. In other words, “rotary” or “pulse” dialing. See also DTMF and
CAS.
“Dry Loop” or “Dry Pair” DSL – DSL service offered without a POTS line to carry it. These
circuits often cost less because many of the taxes, “regulatory recovery fees” and other nonsense
charges apply only to POTS phone service. Also, many customers wish to use VoIP with their
DSL and have no use for the expensive POTS phone once required to be ordered with DSL
service.
DSØ- Digital Signal Level Zero. The smallest unit of measure of the standard rate hierarchy
used by the Telcos (i.e. all other rates are a multiple of the DSØ rate. For example, the T1 rate is
24 times the DSØ rate and the E1 rate is 32 times the DSØ rate). 64 kbps. See also B channel.
DS1-Digital Signal Level 1. The second level up the digital rate hierarchy used by the Telcos.
This is 24 times the DSØ rate for a total of 1.544 mbps. See DSØ. See also T1.
DS2-Digital Signal Level 2. Data rate of 6.312 mbps (4 times the DS1 rate). See DSØ and
DS1.
DS3-Digital Signal Level 3. Data rate of 43.232 mbps (28 times the DS1 rate). See DSØ and
DS1.
DSL- Digital Subscriber Line. Traditionally refers to an ISDN circuit or sometimes a T1 line,
although the term is also frequently used to mean the next generation beyond ISDN. Sometimes xDSL is used to indicate that the writer is referring to any of a number of emerging DSL
technologies.
Telephone Terminology Guide | A7
DSLAM – Central Office or wire center based Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer.
What’s on the “other end” of your DSL line. These are sometimes fed by HICAP (High Capacity or Fiber) facilities to remote wire centers (“remotes” or “vaults”) where “Pair Gain” (carrier)
systems reside, so that DSL service may be provided to customers who otherwise could not be
served due to loop length limitations.
DSU- Data Service Unit. See CSU/DSU.
DSX-1- Digital Cross Connect level 1 (USA & Canada, primarily). Defined as part of the DS1
(T1) specification and is a closely related signal. The type of signal switched by a Digital CrossConnect System (DACS). The FDL is stripped off at the DACS interface. DSX-1 is also the
type of signal that arrives at the user side of a CSU on a T1 line. A DSX-1 cable is limited to
655 feet (200 meters).
DTE- Data Terminal Equipment- When using serial communications such RS-232, V.35, or
X.21, the DTE is the device sending/receiving from a modem or CSU/DSU. In contrast to
DCE.
DTMF – Dual Tone Multi Frequency. The standard tone-pairs used on telephone terminals for
dialing using in-band signaling. The standards define 16 tone-pairs (0-9, #, * and A-F) although
most terminals support only 12 of them (0-9, * and #). These are also sometimes referred to
as “Touch Tones”. Note that while digital data terminals have the same symbols, ISDN uses
“common channel signaling” (over the D channel) and therefore does not necessarily generate
any tones at all. However many terminals still generate the tones since they will still be used on
occasion to access services (such as voicemail or automated attendant) at the far end using inband tones. The extra 4 tones were originally used in the US military “Autovon” phone network.
E1- A common type of digital telephone trunk widely deployed outside the US and Canada.
Has 31 available 64 kbps channels (called DSØ’s) plus a sync/control channel for a total data
rate of 2.048 mbps.
E-1- See E1.
ESF- Extended Superframe. A type of Line format supported on T1 circuits. The Telco determines the line format and line encoding of your line. See Line Format.
Exchange- Another name for a Central Office (most often used in European countries). Also
used in the USA & Canada to refer to a particular 3-digit prefix of a 7-digit telephone number.
See CO.
Extended Superframe. See ESF.
FDL- Facilities Data Link. A bi-directional data link available on T1 circuits when the ESF
line format is used. The FDL is primarily used by the Telco to poll the CSU for error statistics.
Four Wire – A circuit path using separate pairs for send and receive. This term is also used
when referring to digital channels that inherently have discrete send and receive paths, regardless of the number of pairs (or other media) used. See also Hybrid.
Frame – A unit of data which is defined by the specific communications protocol used. See Line
Format, T1.
FXO – Foreign Exchange Office termination. A line or port meant to connect to the POTS
output of a Central Office. Such an interface goes off and on hook to signal status and expects
to receive ringing current.
FXS – Foreign Exchange Station termination. A line or port meant to connect to a telephone.
Such an interface must look for current flow to know when the attached device goes off-hook.
It must be able to generate ringing current. An FXS port will “run a telephone set”.
A8 | Appendix 1
Glare – On a POTS line an incoming call is signaled by periodically applying an AC ring
voltage to the line. Since there is a semi random period before the ring, and pauses between
rings, it is possible to seize a line which is “about to ring” (and answer a call) when attempting to
place an outgoing call. When this scenario happens it is called glare. Glare is much less likely if
Ground Start or ISDN trunks are used. See also Ground Start Trunk.
GR-303 - See SLC-96.
Grade of service- This is simply the ratio of calls blocked to total calls in a decimal form.
Therefore, a grade of service of P.08 would represent 8% blocking. Telephone tariffs regulate
the acceptable average grade of service which must be provided on public networks. See also
Blocking.
Ground Start Trunk – A type of telephone trunk where the request to make an outgoing call
(i.e. request for dial tone) is made by briefly grounding the Tip conductor. Many PBX system
use ground start trunks as they are less prone to glare than Loop start trunks. Ground start lines
are sometimes used with equipment designed for Loop Start lines. This may or may not work generally it serves to prevent outgoing calls while incoming calls work normally. Telcos may call
these “ground start lines”. See Loop Start Trunk. See also Glare.
GTD-5 - The GTD-5 EAX (General Telephone Digital Number 5 Electronic Automatic
Exchange) is the Class 5 telephone switch developed by GTE Automatic Electric Laboratories.
This digital central office telephone circuit switching system is used in the former GTE service
areas and by many smaller telecommunications service providers. It does not support ISDN.
HDSL - High-Data-Rate Digital Subscriber Line. HDSL delivers 1.544 Mbps of bandwidth
each way over two copper twisted pairs. Because HDSL provides T1 speed, telephone companies have been using HDSL to provision local access to T1 services whenever possible. The
operating range of HDSL is limited to 12,000 feet, so repeaters can be installed to extend the
service. HDSL requires two twisted pairs, so it is deployed primarily for PBX network connections, digital loop carrier systems, interexchange POPs, Internet servers, and private data
networks. DC voltage used to power the network Interface Unit (NIU) is “phantomed” between
the two pairs. See NIU.
Hunt group- A group of telephone channels configured so that if the first is busy (engaged) the
call goes to the next channel, if that channel is busy it goes to the next channel, etc. Hunt groups
may hunt from the highest to the lowest, the lowest to the highest, or on some other arbitrary
pattern. But the order of hunting will usually be fixed, beginning with one channel and working
through (“hunting”) until an unused channel is found. The term may have originated back in
the old manual switchboard days when the operator literally hunted for an unused jack to plug
a cord into. This arrangement is very common in business scenarios where a single incoming
number (the Listed Directory Number) is given to the public, but multiple incoming channels
are supported. See also LDN.
Hybrid – A device which converts from a two-wire signal such as POTS lines (or a 2-wire
intercom) to a four-wire system (separate send and receive paths) such as used in the pro-audio
world. While this task is theoretically quite simple, the fact the impedance of most phone lines
varies widely across frequency complicates matters. The Telos 10 telephone system was the first
practical DSP based hybrid and applied the then brand-new technology to this problem.
IEC -1) Inter-exchange Carrier. “Long Distance” carrier. Handles Interlata and interstate calls.
Most often referred to as IXC.
IEC - 2) International Electrotechnical Committee. A European standards body best known for
the power plug now used throughout the world for AC power cords for use on office equipment
and computers.
Telephone Terminology Guide | A9
ILEC – Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier. A local Exchange Carrier which entered the
marketplace before the enactment of the 1996 Telecom act;. i.e. a telephone company which is
neither an Indi nor an RBOC. See LEC and CLEC.
IMUX – See Inverse Multiplexing.
In Band Signaling- A signaling system where network information such as address and routing
information are handled over the communications (voice) path itself. Usually the information is
represented in the form of audible tones, however DC loop current signaling also qualifies as In
Band Signaling. See also CCIS.
Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier. See ILEC. See also CLEC & LEC
Independent – Any of the phone companies in existence at the time of divestiture that were not
affiliated with the Bell System. See RBOC, LEC, and CLEC.
Indi- See Independent.
Interconnect Company- A vendor of telecommunications CPE other than a BOC or AT&T.
This term was originated by AT&T and was meant to be derisive towards the fledgling industry
when the courts said it was OK for end users to buy equipment from someone other than the
Bell System. This industry flourished, in spite of AT&T’s disdain, and ironically, the RBOCs
were not allowed to sell CPE under the terms of the break up of AT&T. With the current state
of deregulation, the RBOCs are slowly re-entering this business. The term is now considered
archaic at the time of this writing.
Inter-exchange Carrier- See IEC.
Interwork- The ability of two different type of networks to communicate seamlessly. For
example, ISDN can interwork calls to both the POTS network and the Switched-56 network.
ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network- A relatively new and highly flexible type of
telephone service which allows dialing on digital channels with multiple bi-directional “Bearer”
channels each with a capacity of 56 or 64 Kbps and a single bi-directional “D channel”. See BRI
and PRI.
ISDN Protocol - The “language” used for communication between the Telco’s switch and the
customer’s Terminal Adapter. Each ISDN circuit has one protocol, and the protocol has no
effect on where or whom one may call. See ETS 300, National ISDN, and Custom ISDN.
ISDN 2- A term used in Europe for ISDN BRI. Also called SØ. Not to be confused with
National ISDN-2. See BRI.
ISDN 30- A term used in Europe for ISDN PRI. Also called S2M. See PRI.
ISG – Incoming Service Grouping. A Hunt Group. See Hunt Group.
IXC- IntereXchange Carrier- See IEC.
Kbps- KiloBits Per Second. Measure of digital channel capacity.
Key Telephone System – A system that allows multiple telephones to share multiple predetermined telephone lines. The system provides indicators to allow the user’s to understand
the status of each line available on a given phone. In its most basic form it is up to the user to
provide the intelligence to select an unused line, or answer a ringing line, for example. See also
PBX.
LATA- Local Access and Transport Area. The area within which calls are routed by your Local
Exchange Carrier (LEC). Under the divestiture of the Bell System calls going outside of this
area must be handled by an Interexchange carrier (IEC). With the latest round of de-regulation
the usual IEC companies are being allowed to compete in the IntraLATA long distance market
A10| Appendix 1
and LECs are beginning to be permitted to handle InterLATA calls.
LDN- Listed Directory Number. When a number of Telco channels share the same hunt
group, it is customary to give out only one phone number for the group, although generally each
channel will have its own number. The number given out is the “Listed Directory Number” since
that is the number that would be listed in the Telephone Directory and given to customers.
Sometimes called a Pilot Number. See also DN and Hunt Group.
LE - Local Exchange. European term for Central Office. See CO.
LEC- Local Exchange Carrier. Your local telephone service provider which is either an RBOC
or an Independent. In other words, a traditional phone company. In contrast to CLEC or IEC.
Line- An electrical connection between a telephone service provider’s switch (LEC or CLEC)
and a telephone terminal or Key system. An electrical connection between a telephone service
provider’s switch and another switch is technically called a trunk. Note that some type of physical lines offer more than one channel. I.E. a BRI circuit has 2 channels, called B channels. This
term is a confusing one, so we try to avoid using it. See Channel. See also Station Line.
Line card- The circuit in the Telco switch to which your line is connected. On an ISDN circuit
the line card performs a role analogous to the NT1 in adapting to and equalizing the circuit to
establish OSI Layer 1.
Line Coding, T1- The clock signal for T1 is derived at the far end from the data bits themselves. Therefore, T1 lines have certain restrictions as to the data allowed. No more than 15
zeros shall be sent in a row; and average density of 12.5% ones must be maintained. The CSU is
responsible to ensure that these requirements are met. The line encoding method, AMI or B8ZS
determines exactly how these requirements are met while still allowing recovery of the original
data at the far end. Your Telco will determine the method used on a specific circuit. B8ZS is
preferred. E1 circuits have similar restrictions. HDB3 is preferred for E1 circuits.
Listed Directory Number- See LDN.
Line Equipment – the circuit on a telephone company’s switch that is used to provide service to
a customer.
Line Encoding, T1- See Line Coding, T1.
Line Format, T1-Modern T1 circuits usually use either Superframe (sometimes called SF or
D4) or Extended Superframe (sometimes called ESF) line formatting. The type of framing used
is determined by your Telco. ESF is preferred. See ESF and SF.
Line Side- This is the side of a central office switch that the subscriber’s telephone lines are
connected to. The main reason for distinguishing between this and the trunk side is that certain
customer related features (Such as CLASS and Centrex features) are inapplicable to trunks. See
also Trunk Side. The user side of a PBX. Also called the station side.
Line Termination - See LT.
Local Access and Transport Area- See LATA.
Local Exchange Carrier- See LEC and CLEC.
Long Distance- If your local US Telco is a former Bell Operating Company then any call
outside of your LATA or any Interstate call is considered long distance and is handled by an
IEC. The above is true regardless of whether you are referring to a dedicated line or a dial up
call. However, under the current state of deregulation, toll calls within a LATA may now be
covered by the IXC, and in some cases RBOCs are being permitted to handle InterLATA calls.
These requirements are largely ignored at the time of this writing.
Telephone Terminology Guide |A11
Loop- The telephone circuit from the CO to the customers premises. Generally refers to a
copper cable circuit.
Loop Current Disconnect Supervision - Another name for CPC. See CPC.
Loop Qualification- Process of actually measuring the loss on a prospective ISDN line to see if
it can be used for ISDN service. The actual loss on the line (usually measured at 40 kHz) is the
determining factor whether ISDN service can be offered without a repeater. Generally ISDN
or DSL is available up to 18,000 feet from the serving Central Office. It may not be available
within this range, or may be available further from the CO. Only a loop qualification can tell for
sure. Not all Telcos will extend ISDN lines with repeaters.
Loop Start Line - A plain old telephone line. The telephone terminal signals the “off hook”
condition by allowing DC current to flow. See Ground Start Trunk. See also Glare.
Loop Start Trunk – A plain old telephone line connected to a PBX switch. See Loop Start
Line. The PBX signals the “off hook” condition by allowing DC current to flow. Ground Start
Trunks are generally preferred for use on PBXs to prevent glare. Also, most trunks are considered “designed circuits”. That means that only a specified amount of loop loss is permissible, and
that the telephone company is required to deliver the trunk to the customer at a given audio
level. At the time of this writing, analog trunks are rapidly becoming less common as they are
expensive to design, provision and maintain. See Ground Start Trunk. See also Glare.
LOS- Loss Of Signal. An LED or other indicator that illuminates if a signal is absent. This
terminology is commonly used with T-1 equipment. See Red alarm.
LT - Line Termination - The electrical and protocol specifications for the Central Office end of
an ISDN line. If you wish to connect an ISDN terminal (such as a Zephyr Xstream) to a PBX
the PBX must support LT ISDN. See also NT and Line Card.
Lucent Technologies- Company that made the former AT&T 5ESS switch, as well as various other piece of Telco gear and semiconductors. Lucent was split off from AT&T in 1996.
Lucent’s PBX division was spun off in 2001 as AVAYA.
MCLD- Modifying Calling Line Disconnect. The parameter on the Lucent 5ESS switch that
determines if CPC is active. Should be set to “Yes” if CPC is required. See CPC.
National ISDN (USA & Canada)- The US “standardized” multi-platform ISDN protocol. The
first version is National ISDN-1. As of mid 1996 National ISDN-2 has been implemented in
some areas and is fully backward compatible with National ISDN-1.
NCTE – Network Channel Terminating Equipment. NCTE is a general term that can be applied to a CSU or NT1 or other equipment terminating a digital line at the customer’s premises.
In many countries, the NCTE is provided by the Telco. The USA is not one of those countries.
Network Channel Terminating Equipment. See NCTE.
Network Termination - See NT.
NIU – Network Interface Unit, a line powered, telephone company owned, interface card that
provides a remote controlled loopback function, some error monitoring and signal level conditioning. It’s typically a box on the wall with some lights, that has at least one RJ45 jack, and a
cable going to either the RJ21x block or other demarc. The NIU converts the incoming 2 pair
line to an RJ45 T1 or PRI line, you need a CSU/DSU between it and your equipment to handle
the level conversion and provide your own loopback capability. The NIU and the cable going to
it are the phone company’s property and their maintenance responsibility. Most often the NIU
(or sometimes called simply “NI” or “Smart Jack”) is located in a locked cabinet. Also a nice
little college in Illinois.
A12| Appendix 1
Northern Telecom- The Canadian company which was once the manufacturing arm of Bell
Canada (it was called Northern Electric back then). Now called Nortel Networks. See Nortel.
NT - Network Termination - The electrical and protocol specifications for the user end of an
ISDN line. See also LT.
NT-1- An alternative expression for NT1. See NT1.
NT1- Network Termination Type 1. The termination at the customer premises of an ISDN
BRI circuit. The NT1 performs the role of line termination of the “U” interface and Codes/
Decodes from the line’s 2B1Q coding scheme. The customer end of the NT1 interfaces using
the “S” or “T” interface. The NT1 is frequently part of the “Terminal Adapter” and is built-in to
Zephyr Xstream, Zephyr, ZephyrExpress, Telos TWO and TWOx12 systems sold in the USA
& Canada. See also NCTE.
NTBA- Network Termination Basic Access. The term used for NT1 in some countries. See
NT1. See also NCTE.
OOS – Out of Service. An alarm light or condition on a T1 or trunk.
Packet Switching. Packet Switched networks are more commonly associated with Computers,
Local Area Networks, and the Internet. In a packet switched network the raw stream of data is
broken into individual pieces, called packets. Each packet is routed through the data network,
individually. This is somewhat analogous to taking the pages of a book and sending each page
as a letter through the postal system. The page numbers would allow reassembly of the book no
matter what order the pages were received at the far end. The end user does not know or care
that the packets may travel a variety of routes. If a given page did not arrive in a reasonable
length of time, one could request that this page be re-sent. Most packet switched systems allow
packets to be discarded if the network capacity is exceeded (the postal system is not supposed
to do this). This is accommodated by the higher-level protocol, which knows to request that
a packet be re-sent if it does not arrive. Therefore, the typical behavior of a packet switched
network when overloaded is that throughput decreases (i.e. the network “slows down”) as the
percentage of discarded packets increases. In stark contrast to Circuit Switched networks. See
Circuit Switching.
Pair Gain - Pair gain is a method of transmitting multiple POTS signals over the twisted pairs
traditionally used for a single traditional subscriber line in telephone systems. See SLC-96.
PBX- Private Branch Exchange. A privately owned switch. Basically, a PBX is a private “business” telephone system which also interfaces to the telephone network. In some circles ‘PBX’
implies a manual switchboard whereas ‘PABX’ (Private Automatic branch exchange) implies a
PBX that supports dialing by end users.
PIC- Primary Interexchange Carrier. (USA) This is your default “1+” carrier used for interLATA calls. In some areas you may have two PICs, one for interLATA calls, and one for
intraLATA long distance calls (in which case it stands for Primary Intraexchange Carrier). In
some areas intraLATA long distance calls are still handled by your RBOC, in others you now
have a choice. You can identify who your current PIC is by dialing 700 555-4141.
POP - Point Of Presence. The local facility where your IEC maintains a switch. This is where
your long distance calls get routed so that your IEC can handle them. Also used to describe the
local access point of an Internet Service Provider. Sometimes carriers maintain “Paper POP’s”,
that is points of interconnection that are advantageous for regulatory reasons. These are often
at Co-Location facilities (COLO’s) or “Telco Hotels”, which are large hardened data centers
where many carriers and customers interconnect and terminate data and voice facilities.
Port - This is a pretty general term. Newton’s Telecom Dictionary 10th edition defines a port as
“An entrance to or an exit from a network”. Many phone equipment vendors refer to ports as the
Telephone Terminology Guide |A13
physical interface between a Switch and a Line or Trunk or “line equipment”. Product literature
often refers to the number of ports on a phone system. In this context it refers to the number of
phones or lines (or sometimes the combination) the system supports.
POT- Plain Old Telephone. A black, rotary-dial desk phone. Usually a Western Electric model
500 set. Outdated term.
POTS – Plain Old Telephone Service. Regular old-fashioned analog loop start phone service.
PRI – ISDN Primary Rate Interface- A form of ISDN with 23 “B Channels” and one “D
channel”. All 24 channels are on a single cable. Functionally related to T1 telephone circuits.
In Europe PRI has 30 “B Channels” and one “D Channel” and one “Sync channel”. See also B
channel and D channel.
Provisioning -The act of configuring a telecommunications service. Also refers to the complete
line configuration information.
RBOC- Regional Bell Operating Company. Most often called Local Exchange Carriers
(LEC’s) at the time of this writing. See CLEC and LEC.
RCF – Remote Call Forwarding, a telephone company service that provides local “virtual numbers” from distant locations. Customers are responsible for the cost of calls forwarded though he
RCF number. VoIP service providers can offer similar services a greatly reduced costs since the
numbers are delivered via the Internet (“backhauled”) at no cost.
RD- Receive Data. Data coming from the network, or DCE towards the DTE. Also, a light on
a modem or CSU/DSU that lights to indicate presence of this signal.
Red Alarm- An alarm state on a T-carrier circuit that indicates that the incoming signal (at
the network interface) has lost frame for more than a few seconds. Normally a Yellow alarm is
then returned (i.e. sent back) if a Red alarm is present. A Red Alarm indicates a loss of inbound
signal; a Yellow alarm indicates (indirectly) a loss of outbound signal. See also Yellow alarm,
Blue alarm, and LOS.
Regional Bell Operating Company- See RBOC or LEC.
Repeater- A device intended to extend ISDN telephone service to sites further from the central
office than could normally be served. i.e.: beyond 18,000 feet. ISDN repeater technologies
include “BRITE”, “Virtual ISDN”, “Lightspan”, and “Total Reach”. Some Telcos do not use
repeaters. Compatibility between a given NT1 (CPE) and a repeater is less certain than if that
CPE where directly connected to the switch.
Robbed Bit Signaling- A signaling scheme that “borrows” bits on each T1 channel for use as
signaling channels. On SF T1’s there are two bits, the A bit and the B bit in each direction. On
ESF T1’s there is also a C and D bit in each direction, although they are rarely used. Using these
bits, various older analog trunk interfaces can be emulated over a T1. For instance, dial pulse
address signaling using 10 pulse per second (rotary style) digit groups over these bits. Since
robbed bit signaling interferes with the least significant bit, only 7 bits can be used for sensitive
data applications, leaving only a 56kbps channel for data applications. See also CAS and CCIS.
Rollover – See Hunt Group.
SDSL - SDSL is a rate-adaptive Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) variant with T1/E1-like data
rates (T1: 1.544 Mbps, E1: 2.048 Mbps). It runs over one pair of copper wires, with a maximum
range of 10,000 feet. It cannot co-exist with a conventional voice service on the same pair as it
utilizes the entire bandwidth or the subscriber loop.
Sealing Current- Unlike telegraphy, teletypewriter and POTS lines, most digital lines (such as
ISDN) use a voltage rather than current mode of operation. Sealing Current allows a controlled
A14| Appendix 1
amount of current to be passed through a telecom circuit for purposes of “healing” resistive
faults caused by corrosion. Bellcore specifies sealing current on the ISDN U interface in the
USA. The Siemens EWSD switch does not provide sealing current. Most other ISDN capable
switches used in North America do.
SF- Superframe. A type of Line format supported on T1 circuits. The Telco determines the line
format and line encoding of your line. ESF is the preferred Line Format on T1 circuits. See
Line Format.
Silence Suppression- See Statistical Multiplexing.
SIP – Session Initiation Protocol, the most common IP protocol at the time of this writing for
providing telephone service over IP facilities. It is used by most Voice Over Internet Protocol
(VOIP) service providers.
SLC-96 – A Subscriber Loop Carrier Circuit system manufactured by AT&T (now Lucent).
SLC-96 has its own version of T1 framing between it and the CO. SLC-96 and similar “SLIC”
systems may or may not perform a concentration function. The interface is the Bellcore TR-008
or the newer GR-303 interfaces that are specialized versions of T1 intended to allow transparent transport of analog CLASS features such as Caller ID, Call Waiting, etc. The GR-303
interface is specifically intended to be used as a common point of interconnection between
alternative equipment, technologies, and/or networks (i.e. voice-over-DSL, voice-over-IP,
etc)) and the public switched network. See the following link for additional information from
Telcordia: http://www.telcordia.com/resources/genericreq/gr303/index.html.
SLIC-1) Subscriber Line Interface Circuit, see “Line Card”.
SLIC-2) The equipment used with the AT&T (Lucent) SLCC Subscriber Loop Carrier
Circuit, a system used to multiplex a number of subscriber loops onto a single circuit (usually a
T1 circuit) to reduce fixed costs.
SLIC-3) Also sometimes used generically for other brands of similar equipment. See also
SLC-96.
Smart Jack – see NIU.
SS7 - Signaling System 7. The internationally adopted Common Channel Interoffice Signaling
(CCIS) system. Previous to SS7 the Bell System used SS6 which did not support the International Standards. SS7 does. It allows for substantially flexibility and power in dynamically
routings calls. An SS7 database lookup is how a call to a mobile telephone user can be handled
transparently despite the fact that the user’s location may change. Also used to determine what
carrier should handle a given toll free call. See also CCIS.
Station Line – A telephone circuit from a PBX to a telephone on that PBX. Since this is a
telephone-to-switch connection it is considered to be a “line”. See Line and Trunk.
Station Side - The user side of a PBX. The side of the switch that the telephones are attached.
Also, occasionally called the ‘line side’. The main reason for distinguishing between this and the
trunk side is that certain customer related features (Such as Hold and Transfer) are inapplicable
to most trunks. See also Trunk Side.
Statistical Multiplexing- A method of improving effective bandwidth of a Telco channel.
Statistical Multiplexing takes advantage that there are typically many pauses in a conversation.
By taking advantage of this fact, and not sending the pauses, improvements in efficiency can be
made. Also referred to as silence suppression. See Circuit Switched.
Subscriber- The customer of a Telecommunications company. This term dates back to when
a local Telephone Company was formed at the specific request of a group of customers who
agreed in advance to “subscribe” to the service.
Telephone Terminology Guide |A15
Superframe- See SF.
Switch- Telephone switching device which “makes the connection” when you place a call.
Modern switches are specialized computers. ISDN service is provided from a “Digital” switch,
most commonly (in the USA & Canada) an AT&T model “5ESS”, Northern Telecom model
“DMS-100”, or Siemens model “EWSD”. See also PBX.
Switched Circuit- A channel which is not permanent in nature, but is connected through a
switching device of some kind. The switching device allows a switched circuit to access many
other switched circuits (the usual “dial up” type of telephone channels). Once the connection
is made however, the complete capacity of the channel is available for use. As opposed to a
dedicated circuit or a packet based connection.
Switched-56- Archaic: A type of digital telephone service developed in the mid 1980’s which
allows dialing on a single 56Kbps line. Each Switched-56 circuit has 1 or 2 copper wire-pairs
associated with it. Switched-56 was replaced with ISDN, which was cheaper and more flexible,
and finally by DSL and IP variants. See also CSU/DSU.
Synchronous Data- A form of serial data which uses a clock signal to synchronize the bit
stream. Since, unlike asynchronous data, no start and stop bits are used, data throughput is
higher than with asynchronous data. ISDN and T-1 use Synchronous data. See also Asynchronous Data.
T1- A common type of digital telephone carrier widely deployed within the US, Canada, and
Japan. Has 24 64Kbps channels (called DSØ’s). The most common use for a T1 at the time of
this writing is for Telephone company “access service” via an ISDN Primary Rate Interface (23
“bearer” channels and a single “Data” channel for call set up). A T1 can carry data service (or
mixed data and voice) when provisioned appropriately, but lower cost services such as DSL are
largely supplanting T1 circuits for Internet access.
T-1- An alternative expression for T1. See T1.
Tandem Switch- A switch which is between two others. It connects two trunks together. Long
distance calls on a LEC line go through a long distance tandem that passes them through to the
long distance provider’s switch.
Tandem Tie Trunk Switching- When a PBX switch allows a tie line call to dial out of the
switch. For example, if switch “A” in Arkansas has a tie line to switch “B” in Boise, Boise could
use the tie line to make calls from switch “A”.
TD- Transmit Data. Data coming from the DTE towards the DCE or network. Also, a light
on a modem or CSU/DSU that lights to indicate presence of this signal.
Telco- Telephone Company. Your local telephone service provider. In the 21st century you
generally have a choice of Telcos if you are a business in a major metropolitan area in the USA.
Competition is coming to the Telecom industry around the world.
Telcordia Technologies- Formerly Bellcore. The research and development organization owned
by the telephone companies. Telcordia represents the phone companies in developing standards
for Telco equipment and in testing equipment compliance to those standards. Promotes competition and compatibility through standards promoting interoperability such as GR-303. Telcordia also offers educational and training programs open to all interested parties. Bellcore was sold
to SAIC in 1997. Telcordia is responsive to both RBOCs and independent Telcos. Their web
site is: http://www.telcordia.com. See GR-303.
Telephone Number- See DN and MSN.
Telos Customer Support +1.216.622.0247. Available 24 hours a day, every day. You may also
ask for assistance by emailing to [email protected].
A16| Appendix 1
Tie Line- See Tie Trunk.
Tie trunk- A Trunk between two PBXs. Note, a tie line is a dedicated circuit, not a switched
circuit. See Trunk.
TR-008 - See SLC-96.
Trouble Ticket-A Telco “work order” used to track Customer Repairs within the Telco. If you
call someone “inside” the Telco’s repair department, they will need this number to proceed. It
will also be needed whenever you call to check on the status of a repair. Always ask for this
number when initiating a repair request.
Trunk- A communications path between two switching systems. Note that many trunks may
be on a single circuit (if that circuit has multiple channels). The trunks most users will deal with
are between the Telco switch and a PBX. However, a Tie Trunk can connect two PBXs. See also
Tie Trunk and Trunk Group.
Trunk Group- A number of telephone channels which are functionally related. Most common
is the Hunt Group. Other common types include Incoming Trunk Groups and Outgoing Trunk
Groups. See also Combination Trunks and Two-way DID Trunks.
Trunk Side- Central Office: The side of a central office that faces the network, between
switches. Historically many CO switches could not make trunk to trunk connections (as
opposed to tandem and long distance switches, that are always used to connect trunks together).
Hence the need to distinguish between the “line side” and the “trunk side” of the switch. See
also Line Side.
Trunk Side- PBX: The side of a PBX that connects to the Telco. Historically many PBXs could
not make trunk to trunk connections. Hence the need to distinguish between the “line side” and
the “trunk side” of the switch. Since a trunk is a switch-to-switch circuit, these circuits can be
called trunks. Beware, even though you have a PBX, the Telco may still call these “lines” (even
though your PBX considers them trunks). See also Trunk and Line Side.
Two-way DID trunk- An ISDN PRI equipped for direct inward dialing. Most PBX trunks are
related to a given phone number, either alone or as part of a hunt group. In the case of a “normal” (i.e. analog) DID Trunk, a group of phone numbers are associated with that DID trunk
(or group of trunks) and incoming calls include the DID number, so the PBX can route that
call to the correct DID extension. These are one-way (i.e. inward only) trunks. This is exactly
how ISDN PRI functions, with the DID information coming in over the D channel. There is a
big difference between a normal DID Trunk and a Two-way DID trunk over ISDN PRI. For
one thing, ISDN PRI is digital. Another distinction is that you cannot dial out over a true DID
trunk, while you can dial out over a PRI (hence the conflicting designation “Two Way Direct
Inward Dialing Trunk”).
Two Wire – A circuit path where only a single pair of wires is used. A hybrid is used to convert
from two wire to four wire circuits. No hybrid is perfect, and those used by the phone company
can be poor. However, the hybrids in Telos Hx units are approaching perfection!
USOC – Universal Service Order Code, The Bell System Universal Service Ordering Code
(USOC) system was developed to connect customer premises equipment to the public network. These codes, adopted in part by the FCC, Part 68, Subpart F, Section 68.502, are a series of
Registered Jack (RJ) wiring configurations for telephone jacks that remain in use today. The now
famous RJ-11 and RJ-45 came from this naming convention.
Variant- The particular protocol (i.e. National ISDN-1 or ETS 300) running on a specific
switch. Not all variants are valid for a specific switch. The switch brand and model plus the
variant defines the ISND protocol. Applies to configuring the 2101. See ISDN Protocol.
Telephone Terminology Guide |A17
Virtual ISDN- An alternative to repeaters which uses a local Telco Switch to act as a repeater
and which then sends the signal onto another switch which supports ISDN. See also Repeater.
VoIP – Voice over Internet Protocol, communications services that are transported via packet
switched IP networks, rather than the public switched telephone network (PSTN).
Work Order- See Trouble Ticket.
Yellow Alarm- An alarm on a T-carrier circuit that is returned by the local equipment if it is
in a Red Alarm state. A Red Alarm indicates a loss of inbound signal; a Yellow alarm indicates
(indirectly) a loss of outbound signal. See Red Alarm, Blue Alarm and LOS.
APPENDIX 2 | QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE: REAR PANEL SWITCHES ||A19
A2
Quick Reference Guide: Rear Panel Switches
SETTINGS
Function
Bits 1 and 2
EQ LO, fixed dB gain adjustment
OFF OFF
0 dB adjustment, EQ LO [Factory Default]
OFF ON
+2 dB adjustment, EQ LO
ON OFF
+4 dB adjustment, EQ LO
ON ON
+6 dB adjustment, EQ LO
Bits 3 and 4
EQ HI, fixed dB gain adjustment
OFF OFF
0 dB adjustment, EQ HI [Factory Default]
OFF ON
+2 dB adjustment, EQ HI
ON OFF
+4 dB adjustment, EQ HI
ON ON
+6 dB adjustment, EQ HI
Bits 5 and 6
Ducker dB gain adjustment
OFF OFF
Full Duplex (no attenuation)
OFF ON
-6 dB attenuation [Factory Default]
ON OFF
-12 dB attenuation
ON ON
Half Duplex
Bits 7 and 8
AGC and Noise Gate settings
OFF OFF
Phone AGC = OFF,
OFF ON
Phone AGC = ½ Full, Noise Gate = OFF
ON OFF
Phone AGC = Full
Noise Gate = OFF [Factory Default]
ON ON
Phone AGC = Full
Noise Gate = Normal
Noise Gate = OFF
A20| Appendix 2
OPTIONS
Function
Bits 1 and 2
DDEQ configuration
OFF OFF
DDEQ feature is turned OFF
OFF ON
Fixed EQ mode
ON OFF
Adaptive EQ mode [Factory Default]
ON ON
Adapt + Fixed EQ (Use SETTING Bits #1, 2, 3, 4 to set the Fixed levels)
Bits 3 and 4
Auto-Answer configuration
OFF OFF
Auto-Answer = OFF [Factory Default]
OFF ON
Auto-Answer = ON, Auto-answer after first ring
ON OFF
Auto-Answer = ON Auto-answer after third ring
ON ON
Auto-Answer = ON Auto-answer after eighth ring
Bit 5
Send additional gain to caller
(Use SETTING Bits #1, 2, 3, 4 to set the levels)
OFF
No additional gain is applied [Factory Default]
ON
+3 dB additional gain is applied to the audio sent to the caller
Bit 6
Hx2 internal mix-minus enable
OFF
Independent: Internal mix-minus is disabled. [Factory Default]
ON
Coupled: Internal mix-minus is enabled.
Bit 7
Feedback Reduction enable
OFF
Acoustic Echo Canceler is disabled [Factory Default]
ON
Acoustic Echo Canceler is enabled (use in “open speaker” situation)
Bit 8
Reserved
OFF
Reserved for future use [Factory Default]
ON
Not Recommended
Appendix
3 | Quick reference guide: internal switches & remote connector pin usgae | 21
A3
Quick Reference Guide:
Internal Switches & Remote Connector Pin Usage
Internal DIP Switch bank: Line Voltages and Impedance
Bit 1
Bit 2
Bit 3
Bit 4
Telephone Network
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
USA, Canada
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
Japan, low voltage networks
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
FCC compliant countries
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
CRT21, Europe (real line impedance)
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
Custom country configuration
OFF
ON
OFF
ON
Custom country configuration
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
Custom country configuration
OFF
ON
ON
ON
Europe (complex line impedance)
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
Custom country configuration
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
Custom country configuration
ON
OFF
ON
OFF
Custom country configuration
ON
OFF
ON
ON
Reserved for future use
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
Reserved
ON
ON
OFF
ON
Reserved
ON
ON
ON
OFF
Reserved
ON
ON
ON
ON
Reserved
Internal DIP Switch bank: Call Progress Tone Disconnect options
Bit 5
Bit 6
Bit 7
Bit 8
CPTD Signal characteristics
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
US dial tone (“precise” dial tone)
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
US re-order signal (“fast busy” tone)
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
WORLD, single freq. Dial tone
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
WORLD, Re-order, ON=155 - 550, OFF=155 – 550 msec
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
WORLD, Re-order, ON=250 - 1200, OFF=250 – 1200 msec
OFF
ON
OFF
ON
WORLD, multi-tone dial tone
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
WORLD, multi-tone dial tone
OFF
ON
ON
ON
WORLD, pulse dial tone, ON=150 - 350, OFF=450 – 1100 msec
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
WORLD, pulse dial tone, ON=100 - 250, OFF=200 – 400 msec
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
Reserved for future use
ON
OFF
ON
OFF
Reserved
ON
OFF
ON
ON
Reserved
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
Reserved
22 | Appendix 3
Bit 5
Bit 6
Bit 7
Bit 8
CPTD Signal characteristics
ON
ON
OFF
ON
Reserved
ON
ON
ON
OFF
Reserved
ON
ON
ON
ON
Call Progress Tone Detection (CPTD) feature is disabled
REMOTE connector pin usage
Pin
Direction
Unit
Function
1
GPIO Ground
2
GPIO Input
Hybrid #1
Hybrid ON
3
GPIO Input
Hybrid #1
Hybrid OFF
4
GPIO Input
Hybrid #2
Hybrid ON
5
GPIO Input
Hybrid #2
Hybrid OFF
6
GPIO Output
Hybrid #1
Line Ringing Indicator
7
GPIO Output
Hybrid #1
Hybrid in use Indicator
8
GPIO Output
Hybrid #2
Line Ringing Indicator
9
GPIO Output
Hybrid #2
Hybrid in use Indicator